Rhinebeck Shares Its Secret Weapon for Battling Poison Ivy

Nobody likes poison ivy. A unique group of Hudson Valley natives is doing their best to get rid of the itchy plants in North Hempstead.

Green Goats of Rhinebeck is a local business that got its start in 2007. The business is made up of mostly retired milk goats who are now utilized to remove plants like poison ivy and thorn bushes. According to the Green Goats Facebook page, the goats have worked all over the US as they explain:

The Green Goats have devoured problem plants in over 200 town, county, state and National Parks and other public spaces in 6 states ranging from 12 parks in NYC to a problematic hillside in a National Park in Thurmond West Virginia

The National Parks Service has been relying on Green Goats since '07 to remove these problem plants.

It looks like the Green Goats of Rhinebeck are back to work. Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte of North Hempsted Long Island shared photos on her Facebook page of the goats showing up for work back on July 8th.

Councilwoman Dalimonte said in a statement :

It is so important to protect and preserve our environment. By eating poison ivy, these goats will provide us with a simple, innovative, and environmentally friendly alternative to the use of herbicides. Initiatives like this help us continue with our goal of being a model of resiliency and sustainability.

The removal should take about 2 years, but if the Rhinebeck goats do a good enough job, the rest of the removal will be taken care of by the Parks Department.

You can learn more about the Green Goats of Rhinebeck and the work they do at Green-Goats.Com.