Why Goats Are Back at the Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie

In what has become an annual tradition, goats are back in Poughkeepsie to do a job that they appear to absolutely love.

The Walkway Over the Hudson (below) is an amazing resource for Hudson Valley residents. It also has its share of behind-the-scenes activities (remember that mysterious net last year?). Only one activity, however, involves goats.

The Walkway Over the Hudson is popular with Hudson Valley residents on both sides of the river (TSM Poughkeepsie)

Goats Have Returned to Poughkeepsie, NY

Once again, a gaggle of goats has been dispatched to the grounds underneath the Walkway Over the Hudson. Their mission is a more eco-conscious version of what many Hudson Valley residents pay landscapers to do every day.

Cinnamon is part of a small army of goats that has once again arrived at the Walkway Over the Hudson to do a very special job (Green Goats via Facebook)

Goats Doing Plant Maintenance in Poughkeepsie, NY

Goats are famous for their indiscriminate appetites, and Green Goats in Rhinebeck, NY has used this fact to turn their farm animals into top-notch weed and poison ivy managers... But that's also the reason why residents are urged to keep their distance.

Goats can be hired to eat invasive plant species and poison ivy (New York State Bridge Authority via Facebook)

Warning About Petting Working Goats Under the Walkway Over the Hudson

Since goats seem to treat poison ivy as dessert, warning signs have been installed underneath the Walkway to remind animal lovers that the plant's oils have likely been transferred to the goats' coats.

Green Goats, a business in Rhinebeck, NY offers goats for plant maintenance services (New York State Bridge Authority via Facebook)

The herd from Green Goats were most recently on weed duty in Poughkeepsie back in September 2024. Eight months later, the animals are back for another round of cleanup. It can take up to four weeks for the goats to complete their project.

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Luckily for humans, poison ivy isn't the only pesky plant that goats love to eat. Their favorite snacks include invasive species like Japanese knotweed, which might start to affect Hudson Valley home prices. See more fascinating New York goats in action below.

New York Airbnb Allows You To Cuddle With Goats

If you are looking for a unique way to spend some quality time with your family and friends this weekend what about cuddling with goats?

Gallery Credit: Dave Fields

Artwork of Baby Goats in Upstate NY Considered World's Largest

The G.O.A.T. goat statue has officially been unveiled in Upstate NY, as artist John Cerney created a brand-new baby goat statue at a Schoharie County farm.

Gallery Credit: Dan Bahl

Filed Under: walkway over the hudson