Glendale resumes goat grazing at Fardugo Park to reduce wildfire risk

An unidentified speaker said Glendale is deploying goats and sheep at Fardugo Park to clear about 20 acres of vegetation as part of the citys wildfire prevention program.

The speaker said the grazing program was authorized by the Glendale City Council in 2021 and has returned each year since. "Since 2021, the goats have helped us clear over a 100 acres," the speaker said; that cumulative figure was presented in the transcript but was not independently verified in the record.

City officials described grazing as a method to reach steep or otherwise inaccessible areas where mechanical clearing is costly or impractical. "We can come in and get to reach places that are really hard to reach where mechanically clearing is either cost prohibited or really hard to access," the speaker said, adding that goats and sheep are "great at climbing, up mountains and hills." The speaker said crews will need to return in a few months to maintain reduced vegetation levels and to slow or stop potential fires, creating safer conditions for firefighting operations.

The speaker framed the grazing as one component of a broader wildfire prevention effort and urged residents in high-risk neighborhoods to create and maintain defensible space around private property. "We highly encourage residents that live in these high risk areas to create and maintain defensible space," the speaker said, adding that community safety "goes hand in hand" with what the city manages in open space.

The transcript references a 2021 council approval of goat grazing but does not include the ordinance or resolution number, vote tally, or funding sources for the program. The record also does not supply independent verification for the acreage figures cited.

No new motion or vote was recorded in the provided transcript; the remarks describe ongoing operational activity and public guidance rather than a fresh council decision.