PRESS PHOTO BY PAUL WILLISTEIN

Cynthia Sopka, Salisbury Township director, planning and zoning, says goodbye to four goats before the June 25 Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners' meeting. In about one month, the goats cleared the detention pond at the Salisbury Township Municipal Building, 2900 S. Pike Ave., of Japanese knotweed and poison ivy. The goats, a project of the Salisbury Township Environmental Advisory Council, on which Sopka serves, arrived June 3 and departed June 26. Initially, there were three goats, named Wynken, Blynken and Nod, with a fourth, Bounce, added. The goats were obtained from Horvath Farms, Lower Saucon Township, on a trial basis. Use of the goats meant the township did not need to spend money on herbicides, which can contribute to harmful runoff. Cleanup and restoration of the pond is funded by a $15,106 grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Stewardship-Watershed Protection. The goats attracted visitors during their stay. "There was a woman who brought her children and dog every day," Sopka said.