b'ENVIRONMENTALATW 59species, but it was explained to us that theyyoure on a worksite, you learn quickly will also eat the young trees, he relates.that the public is very interested in what Roxie Emunson,were doing, she comments. A check who owns andthat should take 10 minutes gets pushed operates Woolyto 30 because people want to talk about Green Grazers withwhats getting done. her husband, saysI love the whole educational piece! that goats alsoshe adds. A lot of people dont know the tend to be moreconservancy is managed by the airport. mischievous andROXIE EMUNSON And explaining invasive species and push through fencingPhragmiteswe enjoy that.used to maintain grazing boundaries.She and her husband, Daniel, started Before putting their sheep to work, theWooly Green Grazers in 2020 after he Emunsons make sure the land does notretired from the Marines. The couple and contain milkweed, because it is toxic forseven sheep moved to Wisconsin from sheep. The same is true for JapaneseNorth Carolina in 2022.yew, an ornamental tree that looks like aIn addition to providing sheep for pine but causes cardiac arrest in sheep.Casaloma Conservancy, they also have Sadly, they learned that the hard way a flock at Renard Island, about 30 miles last year.north of Appleton. The Port of Green Bay, Solar-powered electric fencing is usedwhich manages the county-owned island, to keep the sheep grazing in one area, butreached out to Wooly Green Grazers after also to protect them from their adoringseeing a local news report about its flock public and natural predators such asworking for ATW, and the Emunsons then coyotes and foxes. After the sheep clearbid on the project. The county reportedly one area, the fencing is moved to another. plans to turn the island into a public The Emunson flock grows to more thanrecreation area, but decades of thick 70 during the summer and dwindles togrowth will need to be removed first. about 40 sheep by the end of autumn. Most are Olde English Southdown,Whats Not to Love?also known as Babydolls, but some areBettis still occasionally sends maintenance crossbreeds. The crew working at ATWscrews to the airports conservancy land to conservancy land includes 20 to 40 ewesremove greenery the sheep cant get to Once a year, airportand lambs.or wont eat. Also, if there is a stretch of workers plant newheavy rain, as there was this spring, the trees and shrubsMighty Munchers sheep have to be removed or only work on the property, butDespite their diminutive size, sheep canin dry areas, because wet ground is bad the land also needsgobble up huge amounts of unwantedfor their hooves. In general, however, he to be maintainedvegetation on sizeable tracts of land.considers the natural groundskeepers a throughout theIn fact, they can eat up to 3% of theirmajor winand an amusing novelty. growing season.LUKE BETTIS bodyweight every day. Having fourIn past years, the Chicago Department Airport Operationsstomachs allows them to digest highlyof Aviation has used a variety of animals Supervisor Luke Bettis reports that ATWfibrous foods. The first three stomachsincluding goats, llamas and alpacas to previously spent about $2,500 per monthturn it into a soup-like consistency, andclear vegetation at OHare International, from spring through autumn to havedigestion begins in the fourth. but the practice is otherwise rare within crews clear brush, remove invasive plantsI think they just get tired more thanthe airport industry. and eradicate weeds at the conservancy.full, says Emunson. They will take a restBased on their resounding success, The process involved chemical herbicideswhen it gets hot. But you can be out therehowever, sheep will almost certainly be and equipment that burns fossil fuel.at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, and theyrebaaaaack at ATWs offsite wetlands Putting sheep on the job saves the airporteating away. next spring. Whats not to love about about $1,000 per month and its organic,an environmentally friendly solution that emphasizes Bettis.Emunson visits the flock daily, and an onsite camera allows her to monitor thesaves money and fosters good public We actually wanted to use goatssheep remotely at any other time. Whenrelations? because they eat all of those invasive AirportImprovement.comSeptember 2024'