The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy has spent countless hours of volunteer and staff time over the last 2 years to control invasive species.
Unfortunately, it has been difficult to make progress in areas with steep slopes. One such area lies at the heart of the Preserve, on the hill nestled between the pond and the parking lot. In this 5-acre area, native oak trees are being threatened by invasive plants like English ivy, poison ivy, mugwort, and more.
Grazing for 6-8 hours per day and eating up to 3% of their body weight, goats have been used for decades as a sustainable, efficient, and chemical-free method of removing harmful invasive species from a landscape. The Preserve’s “Goatbusters” add to this legacy of natural ecosystem restoration, acting as a herd of full-time professional weeders. They are able to traverse difficult, hard-to-reach places, and can gulp down poison ivy without a second thought. This frees up the Conservancy’s human staff to focus on other environmental conservation projects.
Our Goatbusters first arrived in early August 2025. They spent approximately 8 weeks clearing our forest of invasives and then returned to their winter home in Rhinebeck. While goats weaken the plants they eat, there is still some regrowth in the following season. Accordingly, our beloved Goatbusters returned in June 2026 and spent nearly 12 weeks further diminishing the regrown plants. We are thrilled that they will be returning for one final season in the spring of 2027. We can’t wait to see our newly rehabilitated forest once they finish the job!
This initiative would not be possible without Green Goats Rhinebeck, who will supply our herd of goatbusters and provide ongoing expertise and guidance. For more information, visit https://www.green-goats.com/.
Thank you to the New York Community Trust – Long Island and Manhasset Community Fund’s Greentree Good Neighbor Fund for their support of this project!
Read more about the Goatbusters arrival to the Sands Point Preserve:
NEWSDAY: Who You Gonna to Call? Goatbusters!
News 12: Goats help rid Sands Point Preserve of invasive species
NEWS 12: Goatbusters: A unique approach to take out invasive plants
