600 goats graze Poplar Beach in Halfmoon Bay to reduce wildfire risk

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (KGO) -- Wildfire prevention takes all of us -- and that includes goats.

On Tuesday, residents turned out for the Running of the Goats in Half Moon Bay.

Many residents have been coming out to see the goats. They'll graze out there for the next several days for more than half a mile.

But they serve an important role.

Every summer, the Running of the Goats draws about 100 people to Half Moon Bay.

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It's an exciting start to some serious work.

Roughly 600 goats sprint near Poplar Beach then settle in for about a week of grazing. And while they're fun to watch, they're here to reduce wildfire risk.

Bob Rogers of the Coastside Land Trust says they help clear weeds and invasive plant species, which can fuel fires.

"We have a lot of people that like to come out to the Coastside and blow off fireworks. And so, their local neighbors are afraid of possibly wildfire with the weeds out here. So that's another reason why we try to do the fire abatement along the historic railroad right of way," Rogers said.

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The herd comes from Star Creek Land Stewards in Los Banos.

There are similar herds throughout California, from Marin County to the East Bay to Santa Cruz.

"They're actually removing biomass. There's just less flammable material to burn," said Matthew Shapero with Star Creek Land Stewards. "Unlike mowing, where you cut and rearrange the fuel, the goats are able to actually remove that and take the biomass down to lower levels."

The company has projects ranging from March through October.

As far as this herd, you can come see it for yourself in Half Moon Bay. The fence is electrified, however, so no petting.