Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is using hundreds of goats to clear dry brush and reduce wildfire risk, launching what base officials say is the first program of its kind at a U.S. military installation.
A total of 471 goats were brought to MCAS Miramar in San Diego as part of a pilot program that will test whether grazing can provide an environmentally friendlier way to effectively create fire breaks in areas that can be difficult and dangerous for crews to access.
“This is the first military installation that has tried this, so it’s really exciting,” MCAS Miramar Fire Department Fire Chief Joshua Allen said. He explained this idea has been in the works for the better part of 10 years, and he always supported the thought of getting goats on-base.
“These animals are specifically on the job to do what they do best, which is eat,” Cole Bush, the owner of Shepherdess Land and Livestock, said. She is running the operation, alongside her mom, providing the animals, herding dogs, a shepherd and any other services needed.
The animals are starting in East Miramar, including an area used by the base’s explosive ordnance division, or EOD. Explosive devices can be brought there to be safely detonated, adding to the potential fire risk.
“The terrain is very rough, so getting personnel in and out of here, boots on the ground, is very difficult [and] very hazardous,” Allen said.
The goats will have through the end of the year to eat or stomp down vegetation across several hundred acres. Bush said the herd can cover anywhere from one to five acres in a day. The plan eventually calls for the goats to graze along the perimeter of the base, potentially creating a fire break that could also help protect nearby communities such as Scripps Ranch and Tierrasanta.
“Wildland fire doesn’t know fencelines. They don’t stop just because it’s a military base, so really, what we are offering the community is a barrier to help protect if something starts here or moves through here, hopefully the grazing has created a nice fire break to protect our neighbors on either side,” Col. Erik Herrmann, Commanding Officer of MCAS Miramar, said.
The goats could also help the base avoid using heavy machinery to clear some areas. MCAS Miramar is home to nearly a dozen endangered species, and officials say grazing could reduce the potential impact on sensitive habitat.
“Bringing the goats in is much better than bringing in heavy machinery that’s going to trample a lot of those protected areas,” Herrmann said.
The goats, meanwhile, appear well suited to the work and within minutes of their arrival to the base, they were already eating a designated hillside.
“You know, folks say goats eat just about anything, and I think you would too if you were hungry,” Bush said.
The pilot program will help determine whether goats could be used more often at MCAS Miramar or eventually at other military bases.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.