On a regular day, White Rock Lake bustles with cyclists and runners making full use of its paved looping trail.
Between Feb. 5-15, however, park visitors were met with grazing goats on the eastern shore of the lake.
The City of Dallas announced a collaboration with land-clearing company Open Space TX earlier this month to bring a large herd of goats to White Rock Lake to prevent the spread of an invasive plant species.
A spokesperson for Dallas Park and Recreation said on their website that 300 goats were being brought in to clear 11.5 acres of the park from privet, an invasive shrub that displaces native plant populations. The goats worked on 1.5 acres of land each day and were enclosed with electric fencing, monitored by an on-site shepherd and a 24-hour contact line.
While the enlisted goats may have caught some parkgoers by surprise, their employment in Dallas is far from new.
In October 2025, nonprofit organization The Loop initiated the partnership between the city and Open Space TX to help restore parts of Valley View Park’s 50-mile trail from its vegetation overgrowth. The cleanup process was nearly the same: a herd of 500 goats cleared roughly 13 acres of land over a period of two weeks, according to a report published by D Magazine.
Many park visitors came out to watch the goats in action during the 11 days that they grazed near the Bath House Cultural Center, but several signs were posted to warn against feeding the goats or touching the electric fence.
