Introduction

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The Sandia Pueblo Reservation is located north of Albuquerque along the Rio Grande. The Tribe’s 25,620 acreage includes 700 acres of riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.

Learn more about riparian bosque forest. Due to an increase in invasive plant species caused by changes to the Rio Grande’s flow regime and prolonged drought, the bosque ecosystem experiences depleted soil conditions, an increased fuel load, and higher wildfire risk. In 2021, 20% of wildfires in New Mexico ignited in bosque ecosystems, which is especially concerning for neighboring agricultural and suburban areas (Yu, 2021). 

The Sandia Pueblo's Environment Department struggles to find appropriate management strategies to thin the dense vegetation in the bosque habitat they manage. In response to the increased wildfire risk, the Sandia Pueblo Environment Department and ranch staff from Galloping Goat Pumpkin Patch Ranch, with funding from the Forest and Watershed Restoration Act through the New Mexico State Forestry Division, implemented a goat grazing program in 2021. The goat grazing program reduces fuel loads by reducing the biomass of invasive plants, creates clearing for new growth of cottonwoods and other native plants, and improves the soil.

Key Issues Addressed

The Rio Grande has undergone significant ecological changes that have been exacerbated by prolonged drought. Historic floods in the first half of the 20th century created conditions for cottonwood and willow stands to dominate the landscape. Spring overbank flooding moistened the soil, redistributed sediment, and cleared forest floor woody debris. In the second half of the century, dams, diversion projects, and jetty-jacks resulted in the channelization of the Rio Grande. Dams directly contributed to the deepening of the riverbed, decreasing the historical overbank flooding. Impacts of water diversion projects to the bosque ecosystem include a decline in available soil moisture, a build up of woody debris, and the proliferation of plant species better adapted to the new conditions. The regional prolonged drought of the last 20 years exacerbated these drier ecological conditions. As a result, invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species including Ravenna grass (Tripidium ravennae), Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), and Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) persist and spread despite management efforts to reduce their prominence. 
The spread of invasive species and prolonged drought threatens the growth and survival of cottonwoods in the bosque. Invasive species outcompete cottonwoods, preventing the growth of saplings. Further, the young cottonwoods of the bosque are nearest the river, but their root systems are still developing, making them vulnerable to death during prolonged droughts. 

The abundance of invasive species increases the threat of wildfire by adding to the fuel load within the bosque. Past management efforts, such as vegetation mastication, only marginally reduced the threat of wildfire and compounded the problem. Mastication moves the fuel load from standing plants to the ground, resulting in scorched, unproductive soil in burn sites. Other past management attempts to decrease the biomass of invasive species included herbicides and controlled burns. These efforts did not result in eradication of the species and only marginally decreased the threat of wildfire.

While individual members of Sandia Pueblo have used goat grazing to thin vegetation for over a century, the Environment Department was unsure of the effectiveness of goat grazing for these specific invasive plant species control. 

Project Goals

• Determine if goats selectively graze invasive plants
• Remove invasive plant species using targeted goat grazing in areas of the bosque that are overgrown with invasive species
• Use goats to reduce accumulation of fuels on the ground
• Use goats to create clearings for new growth of cottonwoods and other native species
• Find a balance between managing for a functioning bosque ecosystem while decreasing the threat of wildfire to local agricultural and urban areas

Project Highlights

Happy Healthy Goats: Participation in the program provides goats with a diverse food pallet and stimulation from exploring the unknown, improving their health and overall alertness.

• Testing Goat Selectivity: Staff from Galloping Goats Pumpkin Patch Ranch conducted a trial to assess which plant species the goats would graze. Each day, crew members used the fencing to create an enclosure around one target invasive plant species. This process was repeated for four days to measure how well goats grazed each invasive species. The trial demonstrated that the goats grazed all invasive plant species equally.
• Targeted Grazing: In the summer of 2021, management conducted the first trial of the goat grazing program in 100 acres of the bosque. Ranch staff transported 100+ Boer and Spanish goats in a double-decker, four-horse trailer to the site from their ranch in Rio Rancho. Ranch staff used portable electric fencing to create about a half-acre perimeter within the targeted site. They also used the fencing as a border around native vegetation as a defense against goat grazing. Ranch staff then moved the fencing throughout the targeted area after the goats grazed through available vegetation. A border collie was used to herd the goats from the trailer to the site, between enclosures, and back to the trailer at night.
• Reduction of Wildfire Threat: Goats reduced the biomass of invasive species and cleared overgrown forested areas. Goats grazed at or near the ground, reducing the amount of fuel on the soil, significantly decreasing the fuel base in the bosque. While vegetation taller than the goats’ reach still contributes to fuel load, the reduction in understory biomass protects soil from becoming scorched in a wildfire.
• Seeding Native Plants: Goat hoof indentations were helpful in establishing native plants. Prior to the arrival of the goat herd to the site, management spread native plant seeds throughout the area. As the goats dispersed throughout the site, they stomped the seeds into the ground. The hoof imprints created small planter-like indentations, which retained water around the seeds to aid in seed establishment.

Lessons Learned

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While the effects of goat grazing on the threat of wildfire is still being measured, reduction of fuel loads is known to decrease wildfire incidence and severity.

This program is labor and cost intensive; however, per-acre costs are comparable to other fuels reduction methods. The program requires various skills to navigate the many moving parts, such as knowledge of animal husbandry, mechanics (repairing trailers, changing tires), hauling animals, driving, and outdoor skills. Because equipment, such as trailers, trucks, portable fencing, water tanks, batteries, and chargers, cost an initial investment of $115,000, external funding, like that through the Forest and Watershed Restoration Act, was tremendously helpful. 

Project participants learned they could improve efficiency of the goat grazing program by keeping the goats on site overnight. To keep the goats overnight, guardian dogs or alpacas would be necessary to protect the goat herd from depredation. 

The goat grazing program, while still developing, is a promising method for forest wildfire mitigation. As agencies often oversee large swaths of forest, management may need to employ several strategies to decrease the threat of wildfire. This is especially true for forests similar to the Sandia Pueblo’s portion of the bosque, in which invasive species have increased fuel loads. The goat grazing program shows how cooperation between Tribal technical staff and local ranchers can support techniques to further management goals. 

Next Steps

• Complement current evaluation methods with monitoring of grazed and seeded areas to measure the reduction of invasive species and new cottonwood growth.
• The Galloping Goats Pumpkin Patch Ranch is exploring opportunities for goats to be used in other riparian management programs. One such program is the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which manages the bosque south of Sandia Pueblo.
• Due to the bosque's close proximity to cities and farmlands, management must continue to minimize wildfire risk but also support fire as a function of the ecosystem.
• Initiate investigation into whether goat feces provide soil nutrients and improve germination of seeded species.

Funding Partner

Forest and Watershed Restoration Act through the New Mexico State Forestry Division

Resources

• Crawford et al. (1999). “Restoration and monitoring in the Middle Rio Grande Bosque: Current status of flood pulse related efforts.” USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS 9-7:158-163.
• Crawford S. C., L. M. Ellis, and M. C. Molles Jr. (1996). “The Middle Rio Grande Bosque: An Endangered Ecosystem”. New Mexico Journal of Science 36: 276-299.
• Ellis, L. (n.d.). “Chapter 6: Fire in the Rio Grande Bosque”. Bosque Education Guide. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.
• Yu, Wufei. (2021). “Pueblos in New Mexico turn to goats for fire management.” High Country News.

Contacts

• Max Wade, Galloping Goats Pumpkin Patch: maxwade@ggyr.org
• Michael Scialdone, Pueblo of Sandia Environment Department: mscialdone@sandiapueblo.nsn.us

CART Lead Author

Jackelyn Alessi, The Southwest Drought Learning Network (DLN)Student Author, Oregon State University: jackelyn.alessi@gmail.com

The DLN is a peer-to-peer knowledge exchange between climate service providers and resource managers, created to gather and share lessons learned from drought events to prepare for future events. The DLN partners with CART to develop Case Studies, with funding from the National Drought Mitigation Center for interns and coordination support from the USDA Southwest Climate Hub.

Suggested Citation

Alessi, J., Scialdone, M. (2023). “Goats as a Tool for Fire Management on the Pueblo of Sandia.” CART. Retrieved from https://www.fws.gov/project/goats-tool-fire-management.