Three goats were brought to the Salisbury Township's administration building along South Pike Avenue June 3, to help clean up a stormwater detention pond adjacent to the building overgrown with poison ivy and an invasion of Japanese knotweed.

The environmentally-friendly solution to the overgrowth problem was arranged by the township's Environmental Advisory Council made up of Bob Agonis; Glenn Miller; Jane Benning; Kreg Ulery, chair; Township Commissioner representative to the group Joanne Ackerman; Karen El Chaar; Glenn Miller; and Mary Anne Stinner, all of Salisbury Township.

Township Director of Planning and Zoning Cynthia Sopka serves as the group's secretary.

The council members had become aware of a similar project which helped contain overgrowth at Hawk Mountain.

The group contacted the goats' owner, David Horvath, of Lower Saucon Township and asked his cooperation in bringing in the goats as a chemical-free and manpower-free way of clearing the pond's overgrowth.

Horvath procured a sample of the vegetation and offered it to his three goats, three male triplets, Winkin', Blinkin' and Nodd.

"They loved the sample," Horvath said, "so it made environmental sense to hire them out for the project."

The goats arrived early June 3 and were placed in the detention pond to get to work. The goats immediately started to devour the vegetation, but were distracted when media and spectators showed up about 9 a.m., Sopka said.

The goats later got back to their task when the distractions were no longer there. On June 5, Sopka said the goats had consumed a "significant amount" of vegetation, and about six feet of area had been cleared along the fence of the detention pond.

Sopka said Horvath obtained an additional rescue goat, named "Bounce" who joined the others.

Horvath said he came to own the original three goats in an unusual manner.

"I had two donkeys a few years back," Horvath said. "One of the donkeys died and the other was so distraught that it was braying constantly."

Horvath obtained the goats, three male triplets, from Jane Maulfair, of Upper Milford Township, to keep the donkey company.

Horvath said the goats provided the donkey with companionship and stopped the constant braying.

"Besides that, the goats keep my two acres of land from becoming overgrown."

Research shows four or five goats can consume an acre of vegetation in a week. Maulfair said she obtained two goats as rescue animals and one of them was pregnant and had the triplets Horvath was given.

Horvath said the loan of the hired goats to the township is his "first gig" of this kind. The media attention, though, has prompted other calls from parties expressing an interest in using the goats for the same purpose.