© 2024 Aspen Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Meet The ‘Goat Gypsy’ Working To Restore The Land And Prevent Wildfires

As temperatures rise and wildfires continue to burn across the West, many in Colorado are turning their attention to fire prevention. There's a woman who comes to the Roaring Fork Valley every year known as the "goat gypsy." Lani Malmberg and her herd of 1,200 Spanish cashmere goats help with fire mitigation, land restoration and weed control on private and public lands across all 13 Western states. 

She and her team were instrumental in helping to restore the Lake Christine burn area on Basalt Mountain two years ago. Aspen Public Radio's Morning Edition host Eleanor Bennett recently met with Lani Malmberg outside her camper on a property in Old Snowmass where she was on another fire prevention and thistle control job. 

Eleanor is an award-winning journalist reporting on regional social justice issues in collaboration with Aspen Public Radio and Aspen Journalism. A life-long Roaring Fork Valley local, she previously was a reporter, podcast producer and Morning Edition host at Aspen Public Radio. Her stories have ranged from the impact of federal immigration policies on local DACA recipients to creative efforts to solve the valley’s affordable housing challenge.