Goats offered as alternative for clearing area of plutonium

[PolWatch]

I knew that goats could eat just about anything but this is a new one!

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A goat herder who has a college degree in weed sciences told federal wildlife officials that she could eliminate the need for a possible 700-acre controlled burn at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge by turning her goats loose there and eliminate concerns over spreading radioactive plutonium.


Lani Malmberg said it's unwise to burn land that has been exposed to the toxic metal, and she said her goats won't suffer any ill consequences.

The refuge was created in 2006 in the wake of the nuclear weapons site's closure, and a $7 billion cleanup was finished in 2005. Concerns that a controlled burn there could put plutonium into the air prompted Boulder's Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and surrounding communities to take a stance against that happening

http://news.yahoo.com/goats-offered-alternative-clearing-area-plutonium-215144884.html

[Peter1469]

Mushroom work too. They can clean up almost anything (http://discovermagazine.com/2013/julyaug/13-mushrooms-clean-up-oil-spills-nuclear-meltdowns-and-human-health).

[PolWatch]

that is amazing...I had no idea: 'To ward off pathogens, fungi have developed an arsenal of antibacterial and antiviral compounds — a resource that traditional peoples harnessed in the form of mushroom teas and foodstuffs.'

[Peter1469]

There was a study a couple of years ago where oil was dumped on land and something like 16 groups were given the chance to clean their portions up. Everyone had their shot and a tarp was put over the land- I don't remember the details, but it was mushrooms that won the prize. The chemical based products like those used in the BP clean up didn't do anything.

[PolWatch]

the chemicals used to clean up the BP spill are now providing a problem of their own.

'The two million gallons of the chemical used to break up BP’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 may have made the oil more toxic to marine life than it already was. In a study published in the journal Environmental Pollution (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749112004344), the chemical dispersant called Corexit was mixed with oil taken from the BP spill. The chemical cocktail killed and reduced reproduction in rotifers, a tiny creature that forms part of the base of the Gulf food chain'
http://news.discovery.com/earth/bp-oil-dispersants-more-toxic-121203.htm

[Peter1469]

A lot of us were saying that at the time...
the chemicals used to clean up the BP spill are now providing a problem of their own.

'The two million gallons of the chemical used to break up BP’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 may have made the oil more toxic to marine life than it already was. In a study published in the journal Environmental Pollution (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749112004344), the chemical dispersant called Corexit was mixed with oil taken from the BP spill. The chemical cocktail killed and reduced reproduction in rotifers, a tiny creature that forms part of the base of the Gulf food chain'
http://news.discovery.com/earth/bp-oil-dispersants-more-toxic-121203.htm

[donttread]

I knew that goats could eat just about anything but this is a new one!

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A goat herder who has a college degree in weed sciences told federal wildlife officials that she could eliminate the need for a possible 700-acre controlled burn at the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge by turning her goats loose there and eliminate concerns over spreading radioactive plutonium.


Lani Malmberg said it's unwise to burn land that has been exposed to the toxic metal, and she said her goats won't suffer any ill consequences.

The refuge was created in 2006 in the wake of the nuclear weapons site's closure, and a $7 billion cleanup was finished in 2005. Concerns that a controlled burn there could put plutonium into the air prompted Boulder's Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center and surrounding communities to take a stance against that happening

http://news.yahoo.com/goats-offered-alternative-clearing-area-plutonium-215144884.html

A degree in "weed science"? Where was that one when I went to college?!

[evince]

amazing stuff guys.

damn is this a forum with actual smart thinking people posting?

[Captain Obvious]

amazing stuff guys.

damn is this a forum with actual smart thinking people posting?

Not always as evidenced.

[evince]

awe your kinda cute in an ugly way

[southwest88]

Yah, there's been a trickle of stories like PolWatch's #1 above - usually emphasizing that the goats eat all the weeds, can get in on slopes & rocky outcrops, etc. that people would have trouble with, & are excellent workers.

See http://www.goatworld.com/articles/purpose/weedcontrol.shtml & similar for details. One of the drivers is liability insurance - goats being far cheaper than claims involving injuries to people.