CHICO >> They’re ba-a-a-ack.

The fortuitous goats, responsible for decimating overgrown fuel, have made their yearly return to middle Bidwell Park near Manzanita Avenue and Lindo Channel, where they will take on a feast of dry fuel and invasive plants.

A company that brings between 200 and 500 goats to grazing sites has been contracted by Chico to graze up to one acre of vegetation per day in the park — a method that has been “proven to be a very effective vegetation management tool,” by eating invasive plants, reducing fire fuel loads and elevating vegetation, according to a news release by Chico Public Works.

Chico City Councilor Bryce Goldstien said there is a reason Generation Z is saying “GOAT” to mean “greatest of all time.”

“I’m very excited to have the goats back! They help keep our park thriving and our community safer from wildfires by reducing invasive plants and fuel loads,” Goldstein said. “They’re also pretty cute.”

A herdsman and guard dogs will accompany the goats 24 hours, 7 days per week, and to keep the goats in grazing areas, an electric fence is posted with warning signs for public safety.

Shane Romain, Park and Natural Resources manager for Chico, said the section of middle Bidwell Park is estimated to take 6 to 7 weeks to cover about 50 acres.

Goat grazing as a fuel reduction strategy returned to Chico in 2018 after being used in the early 2000s but stopped for various reasons around 2006, Romain said.

Park users are requested by the city to not enter closed areas and to keep children and pets away from fencing.

The goats are provided by Capra Environmental Services Corp.