ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — A hardworking herd of goats is back at the National Railroad Museum, helping clear invasive plants from museum grounds along the Fox River.
The goats, part of Glorious Goat Ranch's "Goats on the Go" program, returned to the museum for a second year and will spend the month grazing through unwanted vegetation, including buckthorn and honeysuckle.
Museum officials say the animals provide an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional landscaping methods. By eating invasive species, the goats help restore native habitats while reducing the need for noisy equipment and chemical herbicides.
"They have absolute iron guts," said Liz Van Pay, marketing and communications director for the National Railroad Museum. "They can eat all of those undesirable invasive plants, and they don't come back because there's no way for them to reseed. So, they leave fertilizer, they're cute, and there's no downside."
Visitors are encouraged to stop by and watch the goats at work, but museum staff ask that people not feed the animals. Guests are welcome to pet the goats if they approach the fence.
The grazing project is designed to improve the landscape naturally while giving visitors a unique attraction to enjoy.
Great Pumpkin Train returns this weekend
The National Railroad Museum is also preparing for one of its most popular fall events.
The Great Pumpkin Train returns Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10-11, offering two consecutive days of family-friendly activities.
Each ticket includes a train ride to the museum's pumpkin patch, where visitors can pick out a pumpkin to take home. The event also features trick-or-treating, costume parades, games, crafts, live entertainment and a not-so-scary haunted house.
Activities run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, rain or shine.
More information and ticket details are available through the National Railroad Museum.
