The herd belongs to local rancher and contractor Miguel Ortega, whose company, Highline Grazing Services, has a three-year contract with the county to use goats for vegetation control on public lands, including the airport’s outer fields.

The program is part of a broader push to reduce herbicide use and lower wildfire risk by clearing dry brush naturally — a practice adopted by several Western municipalities in recent years.

“The goats have been working around the south and east fence lines all summer without any problems,” Ortega said. “We do this for utility companies, solar farms, even along highways. This is the first time my animals have accidentally turned into air traffic controllers.”

Preliminary investigation suggests a combination of heavy weekend rains and an aging section of fencing allowed the animals to push through a weakened post and walk directly onto restricted airport property.

“They followed the green,” Ortega said, gesturing toward the taxiway’s thin strip of vegetation. “To a goat, grass doesn’t stop just because the pavement starts.”