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Over 350 Goats Protect Reagan Library From Fires

(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
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A herd of 356 goats is protecting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum from forest fires in Ventura County, California.

The Ventura County Fire Department deploys the goats to eat dry brush that can lead to large fires, the Ventura County Star reported Wednesday. The grounds of the Reagan Library and Museum suffered over $500,000 in damage during the 2019 Easy Fire.

“During the huge fires a year and a half ago, many of the firefighters who were battling the fire that came within feet of the library said that it was the perimeter created by the goats that allowed them to fight the fire and stop it from getting onto our campus,” library spokeswoman Melissa Giller told the Star. (RELATED: Here’s How Goats Prevent California’s Wildfires From Consuming Ronald Reagan’s Library)

Capt. Robert Welsbie of the Ventura County Fire Department explained that the goats are “an alternative method, a greener way of clearing brush.” Clearing dry and dead vegetation is a key part of forest maintenance, allowing healthier trees and plants to grow as well as eliminating fuel for fires.

California has struggled with forest fires in recent years. Fires destroyed 680,000 acres of California land in 2018 and killed at least 19 people in 2020.

The Reagan Library and Museum houses the airplane that served as Air Force 1 during Reagan’s time as president, as well as a portion of the Berlin Wall.