Goat season is well underway in Oakland, with a herd of 450 helping to reduce fire risks by chomping away on dry vegetation that’s sprouted along hillside properties over the past several months.

Since about 1994, the goats have been an increasingly integral part of the Oakland Fire Department’s fire hazard mitigation strategy and this year’s herd is one of the largest deployed for such a purpose in the entire state, said department spokesman Michael Hunt.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.