Thursday, March 12, 2026: The goats are on the last few days of their mission in the Sepulveda Basin, with 35 acres of mostly invasive vegetation repurposed. It is likely half of the herd will depart on Saturday, half on Sunday for their next assignment in Palos Verdes. This has been a precedent setting project for everyone involved. It’s the first time goats have been used on land controlled by the City Dept. of Recreation and Parks and the US Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles region, and we certainly hope not the last. We hope to see them back in some of our Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones as soon as possible. Many people have noted that the southern portion of the Apollo XI field is packed with 4-5′ high vegetation. Currently, nesting birds are settling into that area. Later in the season mitigation measures will be evaluated, instituted and results compared with the grazed area. San Fernando Valley Audubon Society is honored to have the opportunity to fund this project – furthering our mission which includes preserving and enhancing wildlife habitats and biodiversity.
Monday March 9, 2026: Numerous reports yesterday and today the goats were gone. Nope! They were just moved to some adjacent vegetation and went into stealth mode. People viewing along Woodley are doing a good job of pulling up weeds to toss over the fence for the goats to eat – I guess thats one more way to get it done! An interesting fact emerged today as the goats were moved to a different area that contains significant amounts of native ragweed – they don’t like it! We also noticed earlier they do not seem to care for the Coyote Bush. The photo shows an island of undisturbed and still green ragweed in an otherwise grazed section. The rumor regarding goats is they prefer non-native indo-european vegetation over our California native plants. At least with respect to these two species, that appears to be the case.
Sunday March 8, 2026: The times they have a changed. 
After arising at an insanely early and dark hour to attend a regional Audubon Society meeting out of town with several of our SFVAS board members, I managed to check in on the goats just before dark. Other chapters as well as CA and National Audubon are interested in our grazing project. As of tonight – the goats look fine. It was so wonderful to see four generations of a family there to see the goats! It is very likely the goats will be moved into more brush tomorrow, stay tuned!
Saturday March 7, 2026: The goats continue to be a big hit with passers-by. This morning many of the goats were right next to the fence along the sidewalk cleaning up every last trace of vegetation, with people pulling up more to feed them! They start what is their last full week of grazing, and will likely be moved to a new section soon. The project is for about 1/2 the 75 acre field to be cleared. That will allow comparison of different treatments, including possible mowing of some untreated areas after bird nesting season. 
The typical pattern for this parcel is to burn about every 2 years – here’s a link to the LAFD coverage from the last major fire, August 3, 2024. “The Los Angeles Fire Department responded by ground and air to battle a brush fire driven by shifting winds in summer heat, near the Apollo 11 Model Aircraft Field in the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area on August 3, 2024. It took 69 LAFD Firefighters a little more than 90 minutes to stop forward progress of the fire, which consumed 75 acres of urban wildland, but thankfully caused no injury.” In the future, with successful intervention this field will become safe habitat and safe for the community.
Friday, March 6, 2026: There were rumors the goats were gone. Nonsense! They were in stealth mode, concealed by 5′ high weeds! The goats will be here until close to March 15.
The goat menu du jour includes a delectible continental melange of succulent Bastard Cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum), Cheeseweed (Malva parviflora), Spiny Sowthistle (Sonchus asper), Black Mustard (Brassica nigra), Wild Oat (Avena fatua), Great Brome (Bromus diandrus), Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), and lots of Redstem Filaree (Erodium cicutarium). Yum. If you know, you know – this is good! Expect updates daily as well as analysis of results of the pilot project. Bon appetit!
Some background: Beginning February 22, 2026 a herd of goats has already cleared a large portion of an invasive weed-infested parcel adjacent to the Apollo XI Model Airplane field. The cost of the goats through FireGrazers, Inc. was fully funded by San Fernando Valley Audubon Society – this is a project SFVAS has promoted for many years. A big thank you to the Los Angeles City Mayor’s office, Council District 6, Recreation and Parks (including funding a survey) and the US Army Corps of Engineers for enabling this pilot project to proceed. Donations are appreciated!
Article and updates by Pat Bates