Goats return to Erie Benedictines' Glinodo property to help remove invasive plants

Using human hands to pull all the thorny invasive multiflora rose from the Glinodo property in Harborcreek Township would be impossible.

Applying chemical sprays would harm other plants and even fish in nearby Seven Mile Creek, which flows into Lake Erie.

Leaving the invaders would harm the environment.

So for the second summer in a row, the Benedictine Sisters of Erie are turning to goats for help.

"We take creation seriously as Benedictines, and we are grateful for this opportunity to tend to our land in a way that’s healthy for plants, animals, water and human beings," said Erie Benedictine Sister Jacqueline Sanchez-Small, who coordinates the visit by the goats.

What's the problem?

The Benedictine Sisters of Erie live on about 100 acres of land in Harborcreek Township that includes Mount St. Benedict Monastery, 6101 East Lake Road, and the Glinodo property, 6270 East Lake Road. The Glinodo Center was previously a summer camp for children for about seven decades and more recently the property has been an open green space where people can walk and fish in Seven Mile Creek, Sanchez-Small said via email. There are cabins used for retreats and for spirituality programs.

Over the past couple years, the Benedictine Sisters, their oblates and friends have planted about 400 native trees at Glinodo with help from the ReLeaf initiative to plant one tree for every resident of Erie County.

"It’s important to our community for our space to be beautiful, and we also want it to be welcoming to guests and visitors as well as the animals, plants and bodies of water that are native to this area," Sanchez-Small said.

However, she added that Glinodo, like other places, has invasive plant species including multiflora rose, knotweed, bittersweet and privet.

"It’s not that these plants are inherently bad, but when they’re growing in northwestern Pennsylvania, they don’t have any natural predators or competitors, and so they disrupt our ecosystem, growing rampantly and out-competing the plants that naturally grow here and have evolved to be in balance with each other and with the birds, insects and other animals that live here," Sanchez-Small said. "Unchecked, this can create monocultures where there’s no biodiversity, and where the natural plants and animals can no longer live. That also degrades soil quality and contributes to erosion, among other problems."

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Why are goats the solution?

Sanchez-Small said the Benedictine Sisters are "committed to working against the climate crisis" and wanted to face the invasive plant species problem in the most ecologically sound manner they could. That meant they were hesitant about using chemical sprays that would kill the invasive species but would also harm other things growing there and could get into the watershed.

"Instead, goats offer a totally natural solution to the problem," Sanchez-Small said. "Their stomach acid destroys the plants’ seeds, and their droppings help fertilize the soil. It’s a really good solution."

She said the goats are unharmed by eating plants that are very irritating to humans. Even the very sharp, hooked thorns on multiflora rose don’t pose a problem for the goats, which have thick tissue on their lips and in their mouths, Sanchez-Small said. She added that the goats "chew really well so that the thorns don’t hurt them after they swallow."

The high sugar content in the thorns of multiflora rose also seem to benefit the goats, which have glossy coats and look happy and healthy after a few weeks of eating at Glinodo, she said.

Goats are known for not being too picky about what they eat and Sanchez-Small said they'll also nibble at native species. So the trees planted recently at Glinodo are in plastic tubes that also protect them from other animals, including deer. Fencing is also put up around the goats each day to limit their browsing area.

The goats aren't clearing Glinodo's trails, which are maintained by volunteers, the Benedictine maintenance staff and the sisters. The goats work more alongside trails to keep those areas from getting out of control, prevent erosion into the creek and keep the trees that shade the walking paths healthy, Sanchez Small said.

But if the goats do manage to eat the greenery off a few native species, they're most likely to grow back, she said. The invasive plants also can grown back after the goats without a little human intervention.

Sanchez-Small said she's tried to manually remove the invasive plants and it’s very difficult as the area has very dense vegetation and it’s hard work to cut the plants back and uproot them.

"A person could work for many hours and only clear a few yards, and many of the plants have very sharp thorns that will rip up your clothes and skin in the process. The goats clear the area easily, and they enjoy doing it," Sanchez-Small said.

After the goats have browsed, it’s much easier for people to manually remove a multiflora plant by the roots because it's smaller, the stem is easier to see once the goats have eaten the leafy branches and the thorns are gone, she said.

"We can come in and uproot invasive plants then, and allow native plants to re-grow," Sanchez-Small said.

Where do the goats come from?

This is the second year that the Benedictines have sought help from Let's Goat Buffalo, which is providing a herd of about 12 goats for about three weeks this summer starting around Aug. 20.

On the "How it works" page of its website, Let's Go Buffalo says: "It's so simple: We bring goats to your property. They eat!"

The website also defines "goatscaping" as "grazing goats to manage vegetation growth in an environmentally sound manner."

Sanchez-Small said there are relatively few goatscaping companies and the Buffalo one was the closest the Benedictines found to Erie.

"We’re also very impressed with their creative approach to this work," Sanchez-Small said.

The Let's Goat Buffalo goats, which are actually from Orchard Park, New York, are rescues that are not able to live on a typical farm due to age or a medical concern and they receive excellent care, she said.

"They travel in a refurbished school bus, which the goats sleep on at night, in the back half of the bus," Sanchez-Small said. "The goatherd stays in the front half of the bus, and on location, the lights and other features of (the) bus are solar-powered. They see the big picture of sustainability and we really appreciate their efforts."

She said the light-weight electric fence used to keep the goats browsing in a particular spot is also solar-powered.

The Benedictine Sisters pay for the goats to visit — about $2,000 per week — using grants and donations, Sanchez-Small said. In comparison, she said traditional landscapers charge about $75 per hour. The animals work close to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, and can cover more territory more efficiently than humans without using chemical sprays or clear-cutting the land, she said.

"The cost of the goats is well-worth it to us because it enables us to maintain our land in an environmentally sound, natural way," Sanchez-Small said.

What is Glinodo Goat Fest?

In 2022, the goats ate through several hundred yards along the trail, making it easier for the Benedictines to maintain and allowing them to remove invasive species and plant native species instead.

"Also, the goats were adorable and interesting to watch, and many of our sisters, neighbors and guests really enjoyed taking trips down to Glinodo to observe them and learn from Jen Zeitler, who owns and runs Let’s Goat Buffalo and has a wealth of knowledge and wisdom around sustainable land management," Sanchez-Small said.

So many people wanted to watch the goats at Glinodo last year that this year, the Benedictines are inviting the public in for a festival.

The Glinodo Goat Fest will take place Saturday from 1 to 3:30 p.m. on the Glinodo property. The event is free and family friendly but not geared just to children, organizers said.

"We are excited to invite our neighbors and the Erie community to Glinodo to enjoy this space with us, watch the goats work, and learn about these invasive species that are in many of our backyards," said Sister Annette Marshall, part of the Benedictines' Care for the Earth committee.

Brief presentations will be held at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. about the goats, invasive species and natural habitats. Visitors will be able to go on a kids' storybook trail during which they can read about environmental activism as they walk a path the goats cleaned up in 2022. People also can hike on other parts of the property. There also will be outdoor games, nature art and crafting, and light snacks, organizers said.

Michelle Scully, program and events coordinator for the Erie Benedictines, said the fest is not only an opportunity to meet and watch the goats at work, but also an occasion of environmental celebration and education.

Opinion: Caring for Earth, caring for you, Catholic Sisters Week

Dana Massing can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Benedictine Sisters use goats to clear invasive plants at Glinodo