Pueblos in New Mexico turn to goats for fire management

As climate change exposes wildfire risks, tribes by the Rio Grande experiment with a four-legged technique to nibble away fuels.

 

In early October, just north of Albuquerque on the Sandia Pueblo, the bleating of over 70 Boer and Spanish goats pierced the tranquility of the bosque forest, a gallery of towering cottonwoods and willows on the eastern bank of the Rio Grande that’s long been prized for its biodiversity. Under the shade of the native trees, the animals eagerly licked and chewed the bark and branches of knee-high invasive plants like young Siberian, or dwarf, elms and bright green tamarisk, or saltcedar. 

The Sandia Pueblo Tribe brought a herd of goats to help clear potentially dangerous wildfire fuel.
Minesh Bacrania / High Country News

The brown-and-white foragers, which are owned by Max Wade, a rancher in the neighboring town of Rio Rancho, were there to devour these non-native species, which cover the forest floor in flammable fuels. Working through the state’s forestry division, the tribe invited Wade’s goats onto the bosque in June to help mitigate the risk of wildfires. Since then, the herd has nibbled through 40 acres of brush.

Up until 1973, regular flooding on the Rio Grande helped keep the bosque ecosystem healthy and the  invasive plants under control. The floodwaters spread tree seeds to higher ground and added nutrients to the soil, while clearing weeds away. But over the past half-century, after the Cochiti Dam and other infrastructure projects were built to manage the Rio Grande, the regular flooding ended. Now, invasive weeds and shrubs like tumbleweeds, Siberian elms, Russian olives, and tamarisk flourish up and down the bosque. 

Without the floods, it’s hard to mitigate the fire risk and nourish native plants, said Michael “Scial” Scialdone, an energetic forest specialist who was hired by the tribe as the bosque project’s manager. Invasive species have slowly edged out the native cottonwoods and willows and contributed to devastating wildfires. The 2012 Romero Fire, for example, started west of the Sandia Pueblo’s border but ended up blasting through tribal grasslands and ravaging over 300 acres of the bosque.

  • A goat eats dry brush as part of the Sandia Pueblo Tribe's efforts to prevent wildfire.

    Minesh Bacrania / High Country News
  • Michael “Scial” Scialdone, a forest specialist who was hired by the tribe as the bosque project’s manager, explains the goats’ benefits to the bosque ecosystem.

    Minesh Bacrania / High Country News
  • According to forest specialist Michael “Scial” Scialdone, “They are eating the vegetation, dispersing it, turning the soil up and getting new nutrients into the soil.”

    Minesh Bacrania / High Country News

Megadroughts and heat waves have exacerbated the risk of wildfires in the Southwest. And, more than 20% of wildfires in New Mexico this year ignited in forests along the Rio Grande, fueled by flammable leaf litter and dry branches from overgrown non-native plants. Scial hopes that the goats will help prevent further devastating fires on the ancestral lands of the Indigenous pueblos.

“This is a real solution,” Scial said. “It’s fuel reduction. They are eating the vegetation, dispersing it, turning the soil up and getting new nutrients into the soil.” They are benefiting the land in other ways, too: As they wander around the forest floor, he explained, their hooves leave indentations in the soil that act like tiny planters, capturing and cradling cottonwood and willow seeds and holding water for future forest growth.  

It’s not a bad deal for the goats, either. The bark, limbs and twigs of the plants give the goats the mineral nutrients and moisture they need to stay healthy. The animals are gentle and easy to work with, too. “From a palatability standpoint and a health perspective, it’s fantastic.” Wade said.

Sandia Pueblo’s goat experiment has garnered interest from other tribes that see goats as a more natural way to tend the land than heavy machinery and chemicals. According to Lindsey Quam (Zuni), deputy director of forests and tribal liaison for the New Mexico State Forestry Division, and Todd Haines, the agency’s forester in charge of west-central New Mexico, other pueblos along the Rio Grande corridor, including Santa Ana, Isleta and Cochiti, plan to follow Sandia’s lead and invite hundreds of ranching goats onto their lands.  

Other New Mexico Pueblos are now considering utilizing goats as part of their wildfire mitigation strategy.
Minesh Bacrania / High Country News

 “The tribes used to pick certain areas of the bosque to flood,” Quam said. “Since you’re not getting the flood regime, you’ve got to find other ways, like the goats, to mimic the regime.”

Goats were originally introduced by Spanish colonizers, but they have been harmoniously integrated into the ecosystem and agricultural lifestyle of the mid-Rio Grande pueblos for over 300 years. Sandia Pueblo Gov. Stuart Paisano (Sandia) said that when he was growing up, elders would tell him stories about how to use the bosque sustainably. The tales spoke of how farm animals were part of the ecosystem, gathering their own food in the forest and keeping the weeds at bay.

Goats eat fire prone invasive plants on the Sandia Pueblo.
Minesh Bacrania / High Country News

To Gov. Paisano, using goats for fire prevention is a “no-brainer” for the tribe; it’s simply a return to a more natural way of managing the environment. “They’ve done a pretty, pretty amazing job. It’s been very successful,” Paisano said. “I think it’s a program that we’ll continue to utilize.”

Wufei Yu is an editorial fellow at High Country News. We welcome reader letters. Email him at [email protected] or submit a letter to the editorSee our letters to the editor policy. 

High Country News Classifieds
  • CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER
    Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
  • UTAH STATE DIRECTOR
    Who We Are: The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
  • INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY
    Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
  • ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
    Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
  • GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER
    Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
  • COLORADO DIRECTOR
    COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
  • DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: WYOMING, MONTANA AND UTAH
    Digital Media Specialist - WY, MT, UT OFFICE LOCATION Remote and hybrid options available. Preferred locations are MT, WY or UT, but applicants from anywhere...
  • GRANT WRITER (PART-TIME, FREELANCE CONTRACT) HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News seeks an energetic, articulate and highly organized grant writer to support a growing foundations program. This position works closely with our Executive...
  • ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST
    Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
  • DAVE AND ME
    Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
  • CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
    Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
  • CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
    Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
  • COMING TO TUCSON?
    Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
  • ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS
    We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.
  • LUNATEC HYDRATION SPRAY BOTTLE
    A must for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Cools, cleans and hydrates with mist, stream and shower patterns. Hundreds of uses.