Baa-tany Goat Project another Success!

27 Goats and two Great Pyrenees waiting to head up to Jane Bald

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC), Friends of Roan Mountain, and the Chargers hiking club had a terrific day herding goats up to Jane Bald in the Highlands of Roan for the 5th Annual Herding of the Goats for the Baa-tany Goat Project. Todd Eastin, who watches the goats for the majority of the year, led the charge and got 27 goats, two Great Pyrenees, and about forty people to the paddock on Jane Bald.

The rooster still had not crowed when participants arrived at Carvers Gap and although it was early, everyone was ready to lend a hand to get the goats to their new home for the summer atop Jane Bald. Todd gave the group a tactical breakdown of how to herd the goats up the mountain and after a safety briefing from Jamey Donaldson, the primary Botanist and Coordinator of the project,  everyone was ready to go. The first goats out of the trailer were a three day old baby and her mama. One of our volunteers, six year old Sophia, had the task of carrying the baby goat all the way to Jane Bald. Hiking up Round Bald and Jane Bald empty-handed is hard enough so everyone was impressed with Sophia’s resolve.

Toad Eastin with Sophia and a baby goat in her arms get ready to head up the mountain.

There were several hiccups along the way as three of the more strong-willed-goats escaped the clutches of the volunteer herders. One of the those goats was recaptured while the other two remained at large for the next two days. Fortunately, goats #215 and #709 wandered back up  to the paddock several days later and now the herd is safe and happily munching on blackberry.

Every June and September, SAHC participates in the Baa-tany Goat Project. As an avid reader of this blog, you might ask, “why would a land trust tend the field and shepherd a herd of goats?” The answer is surprisingly simple. The Highlands of Roan, SAHC’s flagship focus area, is one of the highest summits in the Appalachian Mountain range. Roan Mountain is unsurpassed in the south for the diversity of “northern” plant and animal species, remnants of the last Ice Age which have persisted in its cool high elevation climate. Thus, the purpose of the project is to restore the grassy ridge corridors using goats as an experimental management tool.

If you are interested in finding out more about the project or participating with SAHC next time, we will be helping Todd and Jamey bring the goats down from Jane Bald sometime in September.

Herding the Baa-tany Goats

I started my morning at 6:15 am, rushing to get my SAHC camera charged, coffee made, and my hiking boots on. Although I could barely keep my eyes open I was excited to head up to the Highlands of Roan to help herd the goats of the Baa-tany Goat Project off of their summer home there.

The project, started by Jamey Donaldson, is intended to restore  grassy bald corridors on Roan’s western slopes by employing goat grazing. The balds are home to many rare and endemic species, including Gray’s Lily and others near the southern tips of these ranges. However, the balds are dying due to changes in soils, climate change, and lack of large herbivores (plant eaters) that historically grazed there. These factors makes them more hospitable for woody plant invasion, like the Canandian blackberry. Luckily, this is one of the goat’s favorite foods and they are working hard every summer to maintain the balds.

When I arrived at the Carver’s Gap parking lot I introduced myself to Todd Eastin, the goats’ owner, and he explained a little bit about his goats and what we were going to be doing as goat herders. People trickled in as he was discussing our plan of action and by the time we got ready to head up to the goat paddocks there were around 35 volunteers ready to help herd them onto Todd’s trailer.

After we arrived at the goat paddocks near Jane bald, Todd and Jamey instructed us on where to go and then let the goats out of the fence. They were led by their two Great Pyrenees watchdogs and spurred on by Jamey saying, “Come on pretty ladies,” and enticing them with corn.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy got our start in the Highlands of Roan and the Roan area is still one of our important focus areas. The unique habitat that the balds provide must be preserved and the Baa-tany goat project is vital in doing that. As many of you know, these places possess a unique spirit that seems to feed the soul. To learn more about the Baa-tany Goat Project and ways that you can help click on the Baa-tany Goat Brochure link below.

Baa-tany Goat Project Brochure