About 525 goats are grazing at Star Valley Park in Valley Center as part of the county’s first targeted grazing project, the County of San Diego said.

County Fire Director Jeff Collins said, "Goats are doing fuel management for us and creating fire breaks. This is just one of our pre-fire strategies to make our communities more resilient." He added, "It’s all about reducing risks and making the region safer."

Over the next two weeks, the herd is expected to graze about 38 acres of grass and tree shoots.

Star Valley Park is undeveloped land at 29902 Valley Center Road; it is a former working ranch.

After the January 2025 wildfires, the Board of Supervisors directed county staff to study grazing as a way to improve vegetation management and reduce wildfire risk; Star Valley Park is the first project in County Fire’s new targeted grazing program.

County Fire’s general fund budget pays for the pilot project.

The county applied for $300,000 from CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grant Program and submitted three grazing proposals to FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program; grant decisions are pending.

To launch the program, the county changed its contracting process so small, local grazing companies can qualify in advance and compete for each project; it held workshops in Alpine and Valley Center. Environmental Land Management, the contractor for the Star Valley Park project, attended the workshops and qualified, the county said.

While the county waits for grant decisions, County Fire and County Parks are identifying more grazing sites across the region; County Parks manages more than 60,000 acres of parks and open space, the county said.

Sources & methodology

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County of San Diego

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