RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — Once a year, the Littleford family gets to hang out a few of their favorite kids…. and by kids, they mean goats.

Anna Littleford grew up in Palos Verdes and is part of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy’s “adopt a goat” program. The nonprofit hires hundreds of goats every spring for several reasons, including to clear out invasive species so that they can get more native plants in the ground. The goal is to protect and restore the local habitat.

The goats also help clear dry, brittle vegetation that can fuel wildfires.

Conservation Director Cris Sarabia says the goats are outstanding employees, super efficient and always hungry for work. He hires the animals from Michael Choi, a goatherder and owner of Fire Grazers Incorporated. Choi says business has been booming, mostly because of climate change, the heat, the temperatures, the drought.

“I don’t have enough goats to even keep up with the amount that people want us to work on,” he said. “There’s definitely a lot of work to be done.”

The goats are a huge expense for the Conservancy, so having members of the community essentially sponsor the animals through the adopt a goat program has been vital. As a reward, supporters are invited each spring to spend a day among the goats, feeding them, petting them and, amid all the cuteness, hopefully growing more interested in the important work the Conservancy is doing.

“Because these lands are for us, they’re for the people,” Sarabia said. “We want to make sure people take ownership and people are able to be with us on these cool projects. Who doesn’t want to hang out with a goat?”

To learn more about the Conservancy and how you can get involved, visit https://pvplc.org.