The Goats Are Back! Scheduled To Clear Brush In Lemon Grove
The City of Lemon Grove, along with its fire department, Heartland Fire & Rescue, will be taking steps to clear brush from eight and one-half acres of land near Lawton Drive and Camino De Las Palmas. Goats will be used as part of the process in clearing heavy brush and creating defensible space for homes in this area. This type of brush abatement is a tremendous help for firefighters in protecting land and nearby homes from fast moving brush fires.
The company being used for this project is Environmental Land Management (ELM), the same company that created the defensible space that recently saved several homes from a brush fire in El Cajon. Quick action by firefighters and defensible space kept the fire small, burning just a half-acre behind homes on Hacienda Drive.
ELM will begin setting up on Friday afternoon, July 29th, and will begin work the following day. They will be creating a staging area and paddock at the end of Lawton Drive. On Saturday, July 30th, the media and the public are welcome to come by between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m. There will be a small nursery of baby goats for children to see, and ELM Operations Manager Johnny Gonzales will prepare his goats for the traditional “running of the goats” starting at 9:00 a.m. During this event, the goats will be guided to the first targeted area of brush in the area near Lawton Drive and Palm Street. During the 4 day process the goats may be visible to those traveling along the 125 freeway in the area of Lemon Grove.
A notice was delivered to 72 property owners surrounding this site about the project. This notice provided some brief information on the work that will be performed and guidelines for neighbors to follow regarding the goats.
For more information on this weed abatement project, please contact Lemon Grove Fire Inspector Thomas Rosenberger at (619) 573-7966. To contact ELM, please call (619) 234-4555.
Address/Location
Heartland Fire & Rescue
E Lexington Ave
El Cajon, CA 92020
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 619-441-1611