San Anselmo staff, MWPA and ecologists report early gains and management fixes from Soarich Park goat grazing program

San Anselmo town staff and partner agencies presented a multi-year review of goat and sheep grazing used for wildfire fuel reduction in Soarich Park, describing modest ecological gains alongside operational lessons to protect trees and riparian areas.

The staff report, introduced by public works staff Sean, outlined a program the town has deployed intermittently since 2018 and that cost roughly $13,600 for grazing and $14,700 for vegetation monitoring in 2025. "This project is CEQA exempt under CEQA guidelines section 15304, class 4, and section 15301, class 1, as documented in the NOE filed on 05/31/2023," staff said while noting the town filed a notice of exemption in 2023.

Jacob Dadman, vegetation-management specialist with the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, framed grazing as part of a layered wildfire-prevention approach: "Goat grazing has a really unique ability to efficiently remove what we call flashy fuels," he said, noting grazing addresses dry grasses and ladder fuels that help fires climb into the canopy.

Sequoia Ecological Consulting presented botanical monitoring results from 2024 and 2025. Project manager Rachel Cardona said the surveys "did not observe any special status species" and documented a small increase in native cover within grazed plots (from 41% native in 2024 to 43% in 2025). She cautioned the dataset is preliminary: "Data is also preliminary. A longer data set is highly recommended to improve our understanding of the impacts of goat grazing." The firm also reported that small trees had been browsed and that, while some minor bark damage was observed, botanists and arborists found no evidence this harmed tree health.

Council members and residents raised operational and fiscal concerns. One council member flagged that last year fencing around trees had deteriorated; Will Messinger (public works staff) acknowledged some older fences had fallen and that the town contracted repairs. On riparian protection, staff said historical goat moves sometimes crossed non-active dry creek channels and that this year they are "looking into finding an alternative route for the goats to not get in the riparian area and to avoid it completely." Residents urged routing animals along roads to avoid stream banks and steep slopes.

The council also questioned whether grazing occurred in areas exceeding the exemption threshold (commonly a 50% slope threshold in the notice of exemption). Staff said they could not conclusively confirm grazing on slopes greater than 50% but added new exclusion zones this year where concerns were raised.

Several council members and public commenters pressed on monitoring costs relative to deployment, noting the monitoring budget was similar to or larger than grazing expenditures. "We have an incredibly leveraged investment of $13,000 and some odd dollars on the goat grazing, and we have a slightly more expensive monitoring program on top of that," one council member said, urging staff to review whether the monitoring interval and scope are the right balance for town resources.

Council direction: Without taking formal action, the council asked staff to refine the Soarich Park goat-grazing work plan, strengthen tree and riparian protections (including improved and repaired fencing), explore alternative transit routes for moving animals, pilot an earlier grazing window (May) to target seed heads, and return with monitoring-cost options after another season of data.

The council emphasized the dual objectives of protecting public safety and conserving park ecology while seeking clearer budgeting and operational safeguards before broader expansion of the program.