It's a summer day in Irving not too different from the rest.
The sky is cloudless, the temperature is soaring and there are only a few brave pedestrians passing through River Hills Park beneath the unrelenting, midday sun.
Under these conditions, it's tough to want to do anything except sit in the shade. But a stone's throw from the walkways, a crew of landscapers are hard at work. Instead of heavy machinery, they brought their appetites.
As part of a new green initiative, livestock are taking over some landscaping duties on Irving public lands. Over 400 goats are roaming select areas throughout the city, and hundreds more are on the way. They'll rotate locations, lending a hand to city workers clearing brush over the next few months.
Irving Parks Services Manager Nathan Frettoloso said the goats are helping clear some areas city staff haven't been able to get to before.
"That's really where it started from: 'How can we clean this area up without introducing liability to our staff?' Because they need to be doing other things," Frettoloso said.
The goats are chowing down on all sorts of overgrown plants, including aggressive species like ragweed and privet. Some of the items on the menu are invasive, known to choke out native plant populations.
All of the animals in this project are female Spanish goats about a year old. They arrived from Oklahoma in the spring.
The goats mill about inside an electrified fence, which workers told KERA is more for keeping coyotes, dogs and people out than for keeping goats in. Those workers move the perimeter throughout the target area to give the goats more places to graze.
Rex Rutledge is the general manager and co-owner of Restoration Grazing, the private company contracted by the city for this project.
Rutledge said the goats' main objective is to "take the crust off" of everything and defoliate the plants and young trees. That makes it easier for parks employees to do their jobs.
"They trample a lot of stuff down to the ground and open it up so that Nathan's crew with the Parks Department can come in and take the next steps in giving access to these brushy parklands and making it more livable for the residents here," Rutledge said.
Rutledge pointed out another benefit in the mix.
"All the fertilizer that comes out the back end of the goat is just adding to the organic matter in the soil... so there's a whole other sector of benefits ecologically that the goats add to the project," he said.
The city is slated to bring the goats back for at least four more years, contracting with Rutledge's Wichita, Kansas-based company.
Rutledge said what his company does is an ancient practice with modern management, and there's a reason why that practice still matters.
"Whether it's just bringing their kids out to see the goats and getting that joyful afternoon, or you don't have a mower that can take this brush down, you need the goats to do it for you," Rutledge said. "Everyone needs the goats. They just might not know it yet."
Frettoloso said other cities in the Metroplex, like Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth, have brought goats in for landscaping work.
So far, he said the public response in Irving has been positive.
"People love goats," Frettoloso said. "They love watching them."
"I'm sure Rex has fielded a lot calls and questions. 'Can I touch them? Can I go in there?'" he added. "We direct people to our petting farm for more pettable goats. But these are workers."
The public can interact with goats at the Animal Connection Experience at Fritz Park.
Worker goats will continue doing their jobs throughout the summer.
Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at alusk@kera.org.
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