Thursday, April 9, 2026

Pasadena Sends 800 Goats Into the Arroyo Seco to Eat Away Wildfire Fuel

Fifteen months after the Eaton Fire, the city and a nonprofit partner are betting on a four-legged approach to clearing fire-prone brush

Fifteen months after the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed at least 19 people across Altadena and parts of Pasadena, the city is turning to an unlikely line of defense: goats.

More than 800 of them will be released into the Arroyo Seco on Saturday, April 18, to begin a two-month pilot program targeting nearly 100 acres of invasive brush and dry vegetation that officials say makes the corridor particularly vulnerable to wildfire. The City of Pasadena and the One Arroyo Foundation, the nonprofit funding the effort, announced the initiative in a March 26 press release.

The Arroyo Seco stretches from Hahamongna Watershed Park to South Pasadena. Overgrowth and fire-prone vegetation have made it a fuel-load concern — and much of it sits on terrain too steep for conventional clearing equipment. The goats can navigate that ground. Over two months, they will eat invasive plants and dry brush while returning nutrients to the soil, the city said.

It is not an untested concept. Fire departments in Glendale and Laguna Beach have deployed goats for vegetation management, and Southern California Edison has used herds in the Sierra Nevada. The practice has gained traction across California as communities search for alternatives to costly mechanical clearing in hard-to-reach terrain.

Pasadena’s version pairs the grazing program with the One Arroyo Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and preserving the Arroyo Seco. Daniel Rossman, the foundation’s executive director, called the initiative a pilot.

“This pilot shows how nature-based solutions can help people and nature thrive together — and that goats might just be the greatest of all time at reducing wildfire risk in hard-to-reach areas,” Rossman said in the press release.

Mayor Victor Gordo said the program reflects the city’s broader shift toward nature-based strategies in the wake of the Eaton Fire. “This initiative reflects how we can turn that shared appreciation into action,” Gordo said in the press release, “implementing innovative, nature-based strategies that strengthen our city’s resilience.”

The goat launch coincides with a free Earth Day celebration at Brookside Park, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd., from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will include goat yoga sponsored by the Rose Bowl Stadium, a goat petting zoo, and educational sessions with the goat herder. Partners Remainders Creative Reuse, Outward Bound Adventures, and Pasadena 100 will offer additional programming, and five city departments — Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Transportation, Health, and Water and Power — will staff booths covering stormwater management, clean energy, and environmental health.

The city’s sustainability team will also kick off its Climate Action Plan update at the event, inviting residents to provide input on Pasadena’s environmental direction. Free compost will be available, and the city will offer free rides on Route 51 (Pasadena Transit) to Brookside Park throughout the day.

To RSVP or learn more, visit OneArroyo.org/Goats. The City Service Center can be reached at (626) 744-7311.

“The Arroyo Seco is Pasadena’s greatest environmental and recreational treasure, and it belongs to all of us,” Rossman said at a city event in September 2025. On April 18, the goats get to work on it.

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION & LAUNCH OF GOAT GRAZING INITIATIVE Date & Time: Saturday, April 18, 2026, 8:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Venue: Brookside Park / Arroyo Seco, 360 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, CA | Phone Number: 323-405-7326 | Website: https://www.onearroyo.org/goats