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Goats, sheepdogs and wildfire safety at the Paradise Grazing Festival

North State Public Radio | By Jamie Jiang
Published March 30, 2023 at 3:21 PM PDT
Goats and kids mill about in an enclosure at the Festival.
Goats and kids mill about in an enclosure at the Festival.

The Butte County Fire Safe Council put on it's second annual Paradise Grazing Festival last week.

Organizers estimated thousands of people were in attendance, arriving from communities across Butte County.

“Having an opportunity for families to have a fun and educational event is my biggest aspiration,” said Calli-Jane DeAnda, executive director of the Butte County Fire Safe Council.

An instructor sets up towels and mats for yoga with goats.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
An instructor sets up towels and mats for yoga with goats.
Paradise resident Ella Lynn came to the festival with her grandmother. She spent a lot of her time greeting the sheepdogs before entering an enclosure to pet goats.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Paradise resident Ella Lynn came to the festival with her grandmother. She spent a lot of her time greeting the sheepdogs before entering an enclosure to pet goats.
Chet the dog belongs to a former veterinarian turned goat herder. Chet is still learning how to herd.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Chet the dog belongs to a former veterinarian turned goat herder. Chet is still learning how to herd.
A volunteer with the California Climate Action Corps reads to festival attendees from a goat-themed picture book.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
A volunteer with the California Climate Action Corps reads to festival attendees from a goat-themed picture book.
A California Climate Action Corps volunteer feeds a baby goat. He says all the volunteers in his CCC crew signed up to work the festival. This event, “Storytime with Goats,” is particularly popular.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
A California Climate Action Corps volunteer feeds a baby goat. He says all the volunteers in his CCC crew signed up to work the festival. This event, “Storytime with Goats,” is particularly popular.
A festival attendee pets a baby goat during storytime.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
A festival attendee pets a baby goat during storytime.
Several baby goats nap in a row in an enclosure.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Several baby goats nap in a row in an enclosure.
Small businesses line up along the basketball court at Terry Ashe Recreation Center. Members of the Goat herders committee say the number of vendors this year were double what they were last year.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Small businesses line up along the basketball court at Terry Ashe Recreation Center. Members of the Goat herders committee say the number of vendors this year were double what they were last year.
Event participants throw paper “embers” on a model home. Children learn how to fire-proof a home and create defensible space through this demonstration.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Event participants throw paper “embers” on a model home. Children learn how to fire-proof a home and create defensible space through this demonstration.
The Butte County Air Quality Control District sets up a booth at the festival to answer questions about monitoring and measuring air quality during the wildfire season.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
The Butte County Air Quality Control District sets up a booth at the festival to answer questions about monitoring and measuring air quality during the wildfire season.
Cal Fire Butte County defensible space inspector Susan Beeler holds up an empty demonstration go-bag bearing the “Be Ready Butte” program logo. She manned a booth at the festival, educating the public about wildfire readiness.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Cal Fire Butte County defensible space inspector Susan Beeler holds up an empty demonstration go-bag bearing the “Be Ready Butte” program logo. She manned a booth at the festival, educating the public about wildfire readiness.
Iris Gruber-Bregman, festival attendee, wears an “Official Junior Firefighter” plastic hat and a Cal Fire sticker from the agency’s booth at the festival.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Iris Gruber-Bregman, festival attendee, wears an “Official Junior Firefighter” plastic hat and a Cal Fire sticker from the agency’s booth at the festival.
Monk, a guard dog for goat herds on the Hanski Family Farm, rests in the shade with his flock between herding demonstrations.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Monk, a guard dog for goat herds on the Hanski Family Farm, rests in the shade with his flock between herding demonstrations.
Monk, a guard dog for goat herds on the Hanski Family Farm, rests in the shade with his flock between herding demonstrations.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Monk, a guard dog for goat herds on the Hanski Family Farm, rests in the shade with his flock between herding demonstrations.
Two festival attendees watch Hanski’s sheepdogs and guard dog guide the goat herd back into their enclosure.
Jamie Jiang
/
NSPR
Two festival attendees watch Hanski’s sheepdogs and guard dog guide the goat herd back into their enclosure.
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Jamie Jiang
Jamie was NSPR’s wildfire reporter and Report For America corps member. She covered all things fire, but her main focus was wildfire recovery in the North State. Before NSPR, Jamie was at UCLA, where she dabbled in college radio and briefly worked as a podcast editor at the Daily Bruin.
See stories by Jamie Jiang