SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As temperatures rise and wildfire risk approaches again, the goats are back in Sacramento.

In partnership with Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks, thousands of goats and sheep will feast on acres of open spaces in the region to minimize wildfire risk. This year, the county is spending $400,000 for its grazing program which is partially covered by grants and other parts of Regional Parks’ budget.

These “four-legged firefighters,” as the county calls them, are hard to miss, said Ken Casparis, a spokesperson for the county. Herds of these cloven-hoofed fire protectors travel across Sacramento County, with them having worked in Rollingwood in Fair Oaks, Casparis added. From there, they made their way to Dry Creek Parkway by Rio Linda High School and towards Sailor Bar in the upper sunrise region earlier this month, he explained.

“I’ve been out there and seen them, and it looks like millions. They’re just like so many of them,” Casparis said.

The contracting of goats and sheep is a long tradition, which began to uptick in 2022 due to an increase in wildfire across California.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved a budget increase to address wildfires with 185 wildfires happening on county property, Casparis said. In recent years, the number has increased to an alarming rate, with fires happening among the American River parkways, other parkways in the region and in Dry Creek.

The county contracts with four different grazers, Casparis said. Grazing is its own separate industry dedicated to herding goats and sheep to tend to acres of land. Goats and sheep are able to reach different spots people can’t, he explained. The herds eat away at shrubs, brush and vegetation in bluffs and cliffs.

“They’re really good at getting into the areas where our people can’t get with their equipment,” Casparis said. “We’ve been working with grazers for probably a decade now, and they do a great job.”

There’s a handful of benefits of grazing, according to the California Sheep Commission. Not only do these furry firefighters eat away at dry vegetation, they also improve soil health, stop the spread of invasive species of plants and help the growth of native grass.

Liz Bellas, the director of Regional Parks, wrote in a press release that she is “incredible proud” of the work these sheep and other fire prevention teams conduct. Alongside the cloven-hoofed squad, the county uses special hand crews and annual permits to tend to vegetation, to reduce wildfires.

“From hand crews and firebreaks to grazing programs and community partnerships, we’re doing everything we can to protect our parks and the people who live near them,” Bellas wrote.

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