Firebreak maintenance continues with Salinas River grazing project
Grazing services will be provided by The Goat Girls LLC and funded through grants
– The City of Paso Robles will resume its use of goats and sheep to graze firebreaks within the Salinas River beginning Friday, May 2. The grazing effort is part of the city’s Vegetation Management Program and is intended to reduce wildfire risk using methods that officials say have proven effective with minimal environmental impact.
Since the grazing program began in 2021, city fire officials have reported a significant decrease in fire starts and acres burned. According to officials, each year of implementation has continued to demonstrate the strategy’s effectiveness in protecting the community.
Supported by the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council, the program will again focus on managing vegetation and maintaining firebreaks along the river. Grazing will start in the southern portion of the city at Larry Moore Park and move north, while a second herd will begin north of Highway 46 and head south. The operations are expected to conclude on or before June 10.
To comply with environmental regulations, the city obtained permits from both the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. As part of the Water Quality Control Board’s permitting conditions, the city is required to perform “compensatory mitigation” for emergency work done in 2019 and 2020.
In fulfillment of those conditions, the city will revegetate five acres within the 2020 River Fire burn scar, including the planting of approximately 150 trees. The Upper Salinas–Las Tablas Resource Conservation District will carry out the planting and perform three years of survival monitoring, as required by the permit.
Some portions of the walking path between 13th Street and Larry Moore Park will close temporarily as the grazing progresses. Visitors are encouraged to use the area but are advised to stay clear of the electric fencing used to contain the animals.
Grazing services will be provided by The Goat Girls LLC and funded through grants from the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council.
