Cabras y Chivas

Every summer, California’s golden hills are dotted with herds of goats grazing on invasive plants and dry brush to protect communities against wildfire. Told through the women and men who shepherd them, this is a story about solutions for a warming world and the intricate web of relationships that inform them - amongst family, between cultures and across landscapes.

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In the face of a rapidly shifting natural environment, many Californians are searching for solutions to climate change-induced wildfires. One source of reprieve has come from Indigenous tribes and their millenia-old practices of cultural or prescribed burning. Another solution arrives in targeted grazing using goats for wildfire fuel management. Now, it’s being increasingly employed by communities and public agencies as a way to reduce the low, dry (and often invasive) vegetation that can spark and fuel catastrophic fires. From spring to late summer, herds are deployed in counties across California, where they graze almost an acre and a half and eat 3-5% of their body weight every day.

“I may not be a professor. I may not hold a master’s degree. I may not be a fire scientist. But there is something amazing about being in this era, in California, where we finally have a seat at a much more interesting table.”

- Bianca Soares, Star Creek Land Stewards

When the Soares family first came to California in the 19th century, the knowledge that came hand-in-hand with their Basque heritage was in great demand among the region's sprawling ranches. Today, an overwhelming number of herders across the West come, via temporary agricultural visas, from rural communities in the mountainous regions of Peru. There too, they’ve managed herds on the land for centuries. Now, in search of economic opportunity, they venture thousands of miles north to do similar work in a very different place. From the Central to Silicon and San Fernando Valleys, they man miles of fence and live in nearby trailers as they rotate through hundreds of grazing sites across the state. For many, it’s their only glimpse at life in the United States and the best way to provide for their families. Unknown to the communities they serve, these are some of the few people working on the front lines of wildfire mitigation. Their methods are practiced over generations, shared and sustained through family and small communities. While their work and newfound relevance is inspiring, it entails a hard lifestyle characterized by long days working outside and months or years spent away from their home country. From two different cultures and economic and social positions, the Soares’ and the herders who work for them are navigating new realities, challenges and opportunities together.

Core Creative Team