Mountain goats, an alpine species, aren’t native to Vermont. But domestic goats, a barnyard staple, are reaching new heights on the state's ski slopes.

At Jay Peak near the Canadian border, goats and sheep have been eating their way up and down the mountain, mowing down overgrown vegetation to make a smooth surface for snow. The 25 acres (10 hectares) they’re expected to clear during their five-week stint is a small fraction of the 300 acres (120 hectares) that need to be mowed, but officials say the experiment was worth it. The goal is to gradually reduce the reliance on gas-powered mechanical mowers.

Andy Stenger, director of mountain and base area operations. “They’re great employees. They take a lot of lunch breaks, but that’s kind of the idea,” said Andy Stenger, director of mountain and base area operations.

The animals wear special collars that connect them to an invisible fence that emits a noise if they get too close or sends out a mild shock if they cross the barrier. The collars also send data to the herd’s owner, Adam Ricci of Cloud Brook Grazing.

Using livestock as landscapers isn’t new. More than 25 years ago, a New Hampshire electric company used 1,000 sheep to clear vegetation under power lines. In 2010, the University of Georgia brought in goats to control an invasive plant overtaking a section of campus. And the Nashville Chew Crew, a herd of sheep, has been working for the city’s parks department since 2017.

Ricci said his goats and sheep spent a busy summer cleaning up backyards, reclaiming abandoned farmland, gobbling up poison ivy and removing invasive species from the grounds of a retirement community. He hopes to work with other ski resorts, too.

“Ideally, we can scale this up to the point where it’s working well and then hopefully develop a model that can be used at other ski resorts as well,” he said. “But there’s still a lot learn here.”

Further south, Magic Mountain ski area used a herd from Slippery Slope Goats last year for its mowing. In both cases, the collaboration was facilitated by the Agritech Institute for Small Farms, an organization working to increase access to advanced technology that can help small farms stay in business while mitigating climate change.

Goatscaping reduces the carbon footprint of vegetation control, reduces erosion and increases the site’s capacity to hold water, Ricci said. The cost per acre is similar to mechanical mowing, though he acknowledges the animals are slow.

But employees and visitors at Jay Peak have enjoyed the friendly herd, Stenger said.

“It’s a lot of fun to have them on the mountain, because normally you don’t see goats or sheep on ski trails,” he said.