They're baaack. Goats that is.

While shopping around the Auburn Supermall a few weeks ago, I looked over across from Sports Authority, and behind the fence, were a bunch of goats, nibbling at blackberries and studying me, while I was trying to whip out my camera phone to take a picture of them.

This summer, and next spring at PLU, where I work, the campus, which prides itself as being as green as possible, had out Healing Hooves, from Eastern Washington. Craig Madsen and his herd of 250 ruminants were on the campus for two weeks, eating every blackberry bush in sight, as well as all the tansy and morning glory they could find. Here is a story and flash/audio slideshow I produced on it.

I see today in The News Tribune, more goats, this time from Rent-a-Ruminant, based in Vashon Island. This company was created by a burned out paramedic, it seemed, who started the company as a joke. In Healing Hooves case, Madsen decided he was through with the environmental bureaucracy and wanted to try something new.

At first, his friends thought he was joking. But no, he now has such clients as the Port of Seattle, the City of Tacoma, PLU, natch, and King County Metro.

The goats somehow eat the invasive weeds, leave the native plants be, and fertilize while they are at it.

Photo taken by PLU Photographer Jordan Hartman.