Madison Parks is seeking volunteers to assist with daily goat checks. Goat checkers will ensure the goats and their area are in good condition, ideally each morning and after a storm.
Duties include:
- Patrol the entire fence to ensure it is intact and no branches are leaning against it.
- Check the battery, energizer and connections to ensure the fence is energized.
- Check and refill the water tub. Parks staff will keep a tank or jugs of water on site.
- Check the general health and condition of the goats. They should be either walking around and eating, or resting. They are usually all doing the same thing at the same time. Look for any signs of distress, illness, or injury in individual goats. (i.e. limping, bleeding, panting, lying still or unconscious when all others are moving around)
- Make sure warning signs ("Caution: electric fence") are posted on or next to the fence at each place where people will first encounter it. For example, a sign at each corner of a paddock adjacent to a trail, or a sign where a paddock crosses a trail.
Ideally, volunteers cover all days and all sites through mid-September. While the exact timing of each location is hard to predict, we anticipate the following schedule, which is subject to change:
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2023 Parks |
2023 estimated dates for first graze |
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June 23 - 26 |
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June 26 - July 9 |
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June 26 July 9 |
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July 26 - August 12 |
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July 26 - August 12 |
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On-going, all summer |
If interested, please complete the online volunteer registration. Then, email Jazmine Bevers to let us know which sites and days you are interested in, and any "blackout dates" when you are unavailable. We will contact you a few days before the goats move to your site, and our staff will arrange to meet you to go through everything.