When invasive vines began threatening the historic trees and aging monuments at Washington, D.C.'s Congressional Cemetery, Vice President Margaret Puglisi and her team needed a creative, sustainable solution.
Trees were being choked by the vine overgrowth so severely that dying limbs were falling onto headstones that date back over 200 years, Puglisi said in an interview with "Preservation Technology Podcast." Traditional landscaping approaches, such as heavy machinery, herbicides, and manual removal, were too risky, too expensive, or too damaging to the ancient monuments and the environment.
Ultimately, the cemetery opted for a surprising, cost-effective, and eco-friendly alternative: goats.
Goats can navigate steep and densely overgrown terrain that humans and machines cannot safely reach, and their digestive systems naturally break down invasive plant seeds, helping prevent regrowth.
"There wasn't an adverse impact on any of the conditions we were looking at," Puglisi said on the podcast. "It also worked out better for costs."
The project was a success. The goats spent just over a week clearing one and a half acres of dense vines. At a rate of roughly 25 cents per goat per day, the cost-effectiveness was hard to beat. The goats also fertilized the land, paving the way for native wildflowers and plants to return.
Beyond clearing invasive vines, the goats helped bring people together. What began as a simple maintenance project evolved into a community event. School groups, neighbors, and even international media showed up to witness the animals in action, transforming an environmental challenge into an educational moment that sparked interest in the monuments and headstones as the goats cleared the way.
The public response was overwhelming, Puglisi said in the interview. "I've never seen people so excited about goats." The grazing effort not only protected historical monuments but also created a positive social ripple effect, reinforcing the cemetery's role as a cultural and environmental asset.
The cemetery hopes to repeat the project every two years and expand goat grazing to other overgrown areas. Meanwhile, Puglisi is focused on the cemetery's next major undertaking: a green roof restoration project for the mausoleum row of monuments supported by a $50,000 grant from Partners in Preservation.
With native plants and six beehives atop restored live roofs, the initiative continues the national cemetery's commitment to sustainability and biodiversity.
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"We're creating a cycle of feeding the bees and having the bees pollinate the flowers," Puglisi said on the podcast. "It should be a good combination."
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