Jay Peak's Chew Crew returns for another season of mountain maintenance

Jay Peak Resort has brought back its “Chew Crew,” a herd of Vermont-raised goats and sheep that helps manage vegetation on ski and Nordic trails. The animals returned last Wednesday afternoon, resuming the natural maintenance plan that began as a pilot program last fall. Over the coming weeks, the herd will rotate through designated sections of terrain, grazing plants that can be difficult for traditional equipment to handle. Each animal wears a GPS-enabled radio collar tied to a cellular geofencing system to keep them within approved grazing areas, and they move about every two days with a livestock guardian dog overnight. Jay Peak says managed grazing can reduce fuel use, emissions and noise, and improve soil health. Last season, the herd grazed about 15 acres for five weeks, cutting roughly 240 hours of gas-powered trimming and reducing emissions by an estimated 288 pounds of CO₂.