The Goat Whisperers of Roan Mountain

Posted by Jeff on Apr 13, 2016 @ 10:55 am in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: April 12, 2016

With the help of human herders, some hungry goats are saving the sensitive balds of Roan Mountain.

Sixteen goats have gone missing, lost in one of the hardwood forests lining Roan Mountain’s southern Appalachian balds. Treeless and naturally occurring, the balds straddle two national forests: the Cherokee in Tennessee and the Pisgah in North Carolina. The balds existed long before state lines were drawn, but trees are now threatening to close in on them, and potentially destroy entire ecosystems.

“This is one of the least studied, most visited plant communities in the world,” says Jamey Donaldson, a botanist and part-time goatherd. In the last 100 years, an estimated 75 percent of Roan’s grassy balds have been lost to the trees. But goats, and their healthy appetites, offer these areas a chance at ecological redemption — if the goats ever come back.

Donaldson pulls a container of rocks from his pocket and shakes it, mimicking the sound of corn feed. Apparently, rocks are a paltry incentive compared to acres of leafy greens. No goats.

It is far more difficult to herd animals than it is to run mowers, but the goat project has paid off. Donaldson’s research — conducted in collaboration with East Tennessee State University — has revealed that goats excel at protecting the green alder, possibly a key species that could be destroyed by mowers and bush hogs.

The Baatany Project rebuts the idea of human influence on the environment as inherently destructive. Through Baatany, the balds are being restored by living beings rather than maintained by motors and metal.

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