“Goats are just another tool in the toolbox for California and we try to use as many tools as possible,” said Michael Jarvis, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesman.

Goats are munching on vegetation that is thriving throughout the state after an exceptionally wet winter. Some herds are doing double duty: preventing fires and protecting homeland security. Bob Blanchard, a rancher in Cayucos, Calif., near the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, said his herds of Spanish meat goats devour brush around the plant and on the rugged hillsides under high-voltage power lines.

“Fire safety is one part and plant security is the other part. The security people there want to be able to see over the whole area,” Blanchard said. His herds, ranging from 300 to 700 goats, are working under a 10-year contract with Diablo Canyon owner PG&E Corp.

“The goats give us a good firebreak under the transmission lines and we don’t have to rely on any insecticides or controlled burns,” said Jeff Lewis,
Diablo Canyon spokesman.

Three shepherd dogs are assigned to each herd to foil attacks by coyotes or cougars looking for a meal. Goat herds have also been deployed in urban settings.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission hired herds from Goats R Us, of Orinda, Calif. to keep the land around the city’s 13 reservoirs tidy and to chow down on dried flammable brush.