Invasive species are b-a-a-a-d

By Phaedran Linger on October 14, 2022

For the ninth year in a row, one of TU’s most iconic campus visitors came ba-a-a-ck. On Oct. 6–7, 12 goats from Harmony Church Farm in Darlington, Maryland, came to the Glen to snack on invasive plant species as part of campus sustainability efforts. 

The Glen Arboretum is an outdoor resource for students that occupies approximately 12 acres of wooded land. The area was dedicated to Towson University in 1936 to provide an educational experience for the community and maintain plants native to Maryland. 

Invasive plants in the Glen include English ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, oriental bittersweet, wineberry and multiflora rose. These species commonly cause problems because they kill native plants and don’t have any natural enemies to control them.

James Hull, director of the Glen Arboretum, oversees the care of the area and came up with the idea for using goats to remove invasive species in 2014. He says they were taking over the native plants, and he needed a sustainable way to control them.

“The alternatives are you get mechanicals out here to dig up everything, which is disastrous in terms of erosion rates, or use chemical pesticides that run off and feed into Lake Roland,” Hull says. “Those aren’t viable.”

The goats only vacation in the Glen in the fall, after summer supplies them with plenty of greenery to eat. “The goat herder makes the decision as to which goats she will bring on any given day, though some goats apparently volunteer on their own,” Hull adds.

Completely removing invasive species is nearly impossible, because they’re constantly reintroduced by other environmental factors like birds. Hull says this is why the goats have become a part of yearly, routine maintenance in the Glen.

Munching aside, the goats are valuable to Hull because they also increase awareness and draw students to the arboretum. 

“It's a valuable experience for students because they can come out here and decompress,” he says. “There's lots of different ways that it’s valuable. We have several thousand students come out here for class purposes, and it's a valuable resource for biology, chemistry, physics and looking at water quality.”

Hull and his team have many goals for improving the Glen Arboretum. Currently, he’s working on getting accredited by the Interactive Community of Arboreta. He also has a long-term plan for the Glen to become more accessible by creating more even pathways and entrances. 

Some students have become a part of the dedicated team working to improve the Glen Arboretum. Senior biology major Lauren Schuman has been working with Hull for two years.

“It’s a really special place. I’m from the country, and now I’m in the city, so being out in nature is really important. I see people with hammocks just enjoying nature,” says Schuman.

She says the team recently redid the pathway into the Glen, so students have been more inclined to come down, especially to see the goats. “It's a space and resource for all. We have to appreciate it and not just let it go wild,” she adds.

Throughout the year, the Glen Arboretum offers much-needed volunteer opportunities for students. Some of the work involves competitions with cash prices and arboretum merchandise. 

The next volunteer opportunity is on Oct. 28, planting 17 trees at designated locations and placing wood chips on trails or around trees. It will be limited to 20 participants due to equipment limitations. Individual students and student groups can volunteer, and all volunteers receive a T-shirt and a Glen Arboretum sticker. Interested students or groups should contact Lauren Schuman.