For the second year, Goat Fest at Glinodo brought together--parents, children, adults, friends and neighbors--for outdoor fun and education on a unique way to care for our environment. This was the third year the Benedictine Sisters contracted with Let's Goat Buffalo to bring goats to the Glinodo property so that they can help clear the woods of invasive species. In the interim, volunteers from local universities Mercyhurst and Gannon, as well as others, helped pull roots (much easier after the goats have cleared leaves and thorns) and reline and wood chip the trails. This year, Goat Fest visitors saw the progress as they enjoyed the trails.

Over the last two weeks of August, there was a visible impact to the Benedictine Sisters’ Glinodo property as the goat herd from Let’s Goat Buffalo cleared out the invasive species along the Creekside trail. (Read more on this years’ long collaboration here). This is the third summer that the goats have visited Glinodo, eating everything green so native plants have equal opportunity to flourish against such species as Japanese knotweed and multi flora rose. Years into this process, the impact of this work is notable, and the influence the goats’ presence has on the land goes far deeper than what meets the eye.

Goat Fest 2023 drew several hundred people--parents, children, adults, friends and neighbors--to Glinodo for a couple hours of outdoor fun and education on a unique way to care for our environment.

Erie News Now invited Sister Jacqueline Sanchez-Small for an interview focused on the invasive-species eating goats at Glinodo and Saturday's Goat Fest.

The Glinodo Goat Fest is free and will take place on Saturday, August 26 from 1-3:30 p.m. The event is family-friendly, and will include a storybook trail, nature art, snacks, and games.

Volunteers from Harborcreek Youth Services and their teacher, Ken Link, took advantage of newly-shorn brush to start clearing out areas where the hired goats had been eating. The 11 students spent a day working along side the creek, including lining trail edges with logs.

Erie News Now reporter John Last featured our goat guests on his "The Last Word" segment Monday, Aug. 1. He interviewed both Sister Jacqueline Sanchez-Small, pictured here with John and the WICU camera technician, and Jen Zeitler, creator and owner of Let's Goat Buffalo.

The herd of working goats from Let's Goat Buffalo has only been at Glinodo for a few days, but the team has already made significant progress freeing the trees along Seven-Mile Creek from poison ivy, multiflora rose, and other invasive species. 

Jennifer Zeitler follows what gives her energy--in other words, she "runs while she has the light of life," as St. Benedict instructs in his Rule. 

Jennifer is the creative visionary behind Let's Goat Buffalo, the goats-for-rent business that she founded in 2018 and whose goats are now clearing the woods of invasive species along Seven-Mile Creek on the Benedictine Sisters' Glinodo grounds.

Goats are effective at clearing invasive species for several reasons. They love to graze, it's pretty much all they do. As they are nimble on their cloven hooves--the two halves of the hooves work independently of each other, according to Google, which helps them on uneven terrain. They seem to have no trouble getting in and around vines without getting tangled or stumbling over rocks. They can stand up against a tree to clear the vines that have been smothering it as well as weaving through ground vines. And all the while, they are chewing.

Our temporary collaborators, a herd of goats, their goatherd, and their bus-barn arrived and staked out their first work area. As you can see, they wasted no time digging into their task of clearing the woods on the Glinodo grounds of inasive species. Over the next month, we'll introduce you to the goats and their goatherd as well as share more about why we made this choice and why as Benedictines it is important that we not only care for the land but do it in loving ways. Read the original post here. Learn more about Let's Goat Buffalo here.

A heard of goats along with their goatherd from nearby Buffalo, NY, will be helping the Benedictine sisters live into one aspect of their Corporate Commitment: As Benedictine Sisters of Erie we commit ourselves to be a healing presence and prophetic witness for peace and justice by actively addressing the climate crisis and the rights of women and children.