Goats arrive in Flint to munch on invasive plants

FLINT, Mich. — Invasive plants are threatening Flint’s green spaces, but a team of 48 goats are on the job.

On Monday, June 23, 2025, the Genesee County Land Bank launched a new urban vegetation management project that uses goats to help eliminate Buckthorn, a fast-growing invasive species known for choking out native plants and taking over open land.

The goats will spend the summer grazing on eight Land Bank-owned parcels near Ramona Park on Flint’s east side. The effort marks the first time a goat-grazing program has been used to manage invasive plants in an urban setting in Flint.

“Buckthorn is notoriously difficult to eliminate,” said Kelly Jewett, an urban conservation fellow with the Genesee County Land Bank. “Traditional mechanical and chemical methods can be expensive and disruptive. Goats, on the other hand, are efficient, eco-friendly and great at getting the job done.”

The project is supported by a grant from the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network, with funding from The Conservation Fund and several local and regional partners. In addition to removing invasive species, the initiative aims to protect water quality, improve wildlife habitat and restore underused neighborhood green spaces.

“This is the first time a project like this has been implemented in an urban setting like Flint,” said Michael Freeman, executive director of the Genesee County Land Bank. “It’s a pioneering approach that offers an environmentally sustainable alternative to chemical herbicides and brings a fresh, community-centered solution to land stewardship in our city.”