Along a cottonwood forest next to the Skagit River, the serene sound of running water and wind blowing through the leaves was overpowered by a new sound — munching and crunching.

With 10 of the forest’s 40 acres overpowered by Himalayan blackberries, the Nature Conservancy hired an unusual crew to clear out the invasive plant. Thirty goats — mothers and their offspring — spread through the area chowing down on an all-you-can-eat buffet of blackberry plants.

The blackberries took over an area that was used as a dirt trail before the conservancy bought it in 2006. Once cleared, the blackberries will be replaced with cedar, spruce and cottonwood trees. With the blackberries under control, native shrubs will reseed and cover the ground.

Akyla Farms owner Carol Osterman stood on a trail she built for the goats. Among the brush she could only see a dozen of her herd of 30 — plus the unmistakably tall presence of her guard llama, named Fiber Festival. But the sound of the ruminant landscapers echoed clearly, with every goat happily chewing away at the broad blackberry leaves.

It’s a landscape-clearing method that’s becoming increasingly popular in the Northwest. Osterman’s La Conner-based herd is the newest of several businesses in the state hiring out ruminant animals, such as sheep, goats and llamas, to do the preliminary work on a landscape of invasive species like blackberries.

Goats are naturals at the job. They eat the leafy greens off of woody plants like blackberries. Osterman pointed out how her goats jump up and stomp the bramble down to get at the highest leaves. As they chomp away, they bring down and flatten large areas of blackberries.

The goats can get into sloped areas that mowers and trucks can’t reach and don’t require the same kind of permits as large construction vehicles. Plus, they don’t need much feed since it’s their job to pig out on the blackberry salad bar sitting right in front of them.

Osterman said goats’ mouths are hard on the inside, and they’re not bothered by the prickly thorns.

Vashon Island-based Rent-a-Ruminant LLC has rented out goats to conservancy groups, schools and cities trying to clear out the ubiquitous blackberry bushes. Earlier this year, Rent-a-Ruminant brought 60 goats to the University of Washington.

Rent-a-Ruminant owner Tammy Dunakin said her business is growing, and becoming more popular with “green” developers.

The goats burn no gasoline, and they eat everything they remove, cutting out the trucks to haul the vegetation off site.

“When you use the goats, they’re eating a lot of the vegetation and it’s not just left to be disposed afterwards,” Dunakin said.

Dunakin said that goat stomachs also digest seeds well enough to prevent future growth.

Dunakin said goats aren’t always cost-effective, but in some situations they can save a contractor money by cutting back on hauling costs and clearing a landscape for topographers.

But most of all people like using goats because it’s “cool,” Dunakin said. People in the community really stop and take notice of a development or landscaping project when it’s overrun by 30 to 60 goats.

“It makes them stop and go, ‘Wow, this is something you don’t see every day,’” Dunakin said.

And at her business, the goats are living a posh life. Most of hers are rescued from other locations and not given up for slaughter.
“They’re the happiest goats around,” Dunakin said.

At the Skagit River site, the conservancy pays Osterman $139 a day for the work. Most of that pays for clearing trails for the goats and moving electric fences to contain the area where they eat.

Osterman’s llama takes care of security. A herd of goats might attract coyotes, but llamas and canines are natural enemies. Osterman said Fiber Festival will use his hard front hooves and literally stomp on any predators that come through day or night.

“I have the ultimate faith that he would take care of a coyote for me,” Osterman said.

Conservancy Stewardship Manager Kat Morgan said she loves watching the goats eat, especially the small kids that eat the lowest leaves. When they’re done, the conservancy will still have the thorny canes to remove, but with the leaves gone, they can see what they’re working with.

The goats take care of the most unpleasant part of the job — diving into the thorny bramble to see what’s in there.

“When I think about going into blackberries, it’s not a pleasant thing,” Morgan said. “But the goats just love it.”

Once the goats are done, Morgan will lead a team of volunteers in restoring the area to its natural habitat. She said the new trees and native brush will provide shade and safe cover for fish in the river and mammals on land looking for a drink.

• Aaron Burkhalter can be reached at 360-416-2141 or .