| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.87 |
| Liaison | Kevin Kirsche |
| Submission Date | June 22, 2021 |
University of Georgia
IN-48: Innovation B
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Nate
Shear Sustainability Metrics Intern Office of Sustainability |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
The Chew Crew
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The UGA Chew Crew is a student-lead effort to restore neglected green spaces on campus to their former glory using goats. We have two enclosures, one at Tanyard Creek and one at Driftmier Woods, where we set the goats free to do what they do best. Chew! The goats eat invasive plants and some native ones too then we go back afterwards to sow the seeds of native species in hopes of swinging the ecological balance back in their favor.
For the past few decades, goats and sheep have been used in the Western U.S. to successfully manage invasive weeds in rangeland, and to reduce the risk of wildfire in urban areas. More recent studies in the Midwest and Northeast have shown prescribed goat grazing to effectively eliminate invasive species such as European buckthorn, Amur honeysuckle, and multiflora rose, and a study at North Carolina State University found goats to be effect at controlling kudzu. At present, however, there is little specific data supporting the relative effectiveness of prescribed grazing for managing the most common invasive species in the U.S. Southeast. The Chew Crew project thus represents an opportunity for UGA faculty and students to document how various plant species respond to repeated grazing.
Despite overcoming new obstacles with COVID-19, the Chew Crew were still able to remove 1,947 invasive plant species from the Tanyard Site in the Fall of 2020.
For the past few decades, goats and sheep have been used in the Western U.S. to successfully manage invasive weeds in rangeland, and to reduce the risk of wildfire in urban areas. More recent studies in the Midwest and Northeast have shown prescribed goat grazing to effectively eliminate invasive species such as European buckthorn, Amur honeysuckle, and multiflora rose, and a study at North Carolina State University found goats to be effect at controlling kudzu. At present, however, there is little specific data supporting the relative effectiveness of prescribed grazing for managing the most common invasive species in the U.S. Southeast. The Chew Crew project thus represents an opportunity for UGA faculty and students to document how various plant species respond to repeated grazing.
Despite overcoming new obstacles with COVID-19, the Chew Crew were still able to remove 1,947 invasive plant species from the Tanyard Site in the Fall of 2020.
Optional Fields
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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