Municipal Vegetation Management
Prescribed Grazing at Doon Heritage Village
Natural invasive-plant management and public education at one of Waterloo Region's historic destinations.
Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum & Doon Heritage Village, Kitchener | 2026
The Challenge
Doon Heritage Village sits within a forested landscape along the Grand River, where invasive buckthorn has established itself in the understory. Left unmanaged, buckthorn outcompetes native vegetation, crowds out young trees and slowly changes the character of the woodland that surrounds the historic village.
For the Region of Waterloo, managing this vegetation in a heritage setting called for an approach that was effective, low-impact and welcoming to the public who visit the site.
The Natural Solution
Goats in the City deployed the Eco-Herd to the site using temporary electric mesh fencing and supervised prescribed grazing. Within the fenced grazing area, the goats browsed unwanted woody vegetation — including invasive buckthorn — without the application of herbicides.
Goats are natural browsers. They reach up into leafy branches, strip foliage and bark, and work through dense brush that is difficult to manage by machine, making them well suited to a sensitive forested landscape.
Community Engagement: Baby Goat Day
On May 9, 2026, the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum hosted Baby Goat Day — a chance for visitors to meet the youngest members of the herd and learn about prescribed grazing.
Families met baby goats, asked questions and discovered how a working herd can help care for the landscape around one of the region's best-known historic destinations.
Returning to the Landscape
Following setup on June 22, the Eco-Herd returned for a working grazing visit on June 23–24, 2026, with approximately 50 goats on site.
Repeated browsing is at the heart of prescribed grazing. Each visit puts pressure on regrowth, and over successive seasons that pressure can contribute to longer-term vegetation management — a patient, natural process rather than a one-time fix.
Project Outcomes
- Herbicide-free prescribed grazing in a heritage landscape.
- Targeted browsing of invasive buckthorn.
- A second grazing treatment within the same season.
- Public education and community engagement through Baby Goat Day.
- Client
- Region of Waterloo
- Location
- 10 Huron Road, Kitchener, Ontario
- Year
- 2026
- Target vegetation
- Invasive buckthorn
- Herd size (June)
- Approximately 50 goats
- Public event
- Baby Goat Day — May 9, 2026
The Project in Pictures
Where History Meets Ecological Stewardship
At Doon Heritage Village, prescribed grazing brought together natural vegetation management, historic surroundings, and public education. The project demonstrated how the browsing behaviour of goats can contribute to modern land management while giving visitors an opportunity to experience ecological stewardship firsthand.
No Mowers. No Herbicides. Just Goats.