BOISE, Idaho — When you think of Boise, what comes to mind?
The Depot? The Capitol? Maybe The Blue? They are all parts of the community that tie the city together.
Over the years something else has dug into the complexion of Boise, spreading like a virus. It comes from the wrong side of the tracks.
“Goatheads are a problem for everyone,” said Martha Brabec, an ecologist with the City of Boise Parks and Recreation.
Goatheads. It’s a real "if you know, you know" kind of thing -- an invasive species that is classified as a weed, with spiny, prickly heads that can puncture your bike tires and get stuck in your shoes.
“They're an invasive species that everybody has a personal story associated with. A lot of other invasive species may not impact our everyday lives in ways that are tangible to us. But, everyone has a personal story associated with a goat head, and the hatred of them is real,” Brabec said.
The hatred for them in the community is so real, that scientists at Boise State are working to eradicate goatheads from the City of Boise all together. They worked on this for several years: a hot spot map of all 60 miles of pathways throughout the City of Boise. The BSU team marked the location of every goathead plant they found with a GPS -- but that’s only half the battle.
“I can’t believe how much time I spend thinking about it,” Brabec said.
Brabec is passionate about her work -- she leads a volunteer team every Wednesday for goathead extraction. Wednesday the team took on a bike path in.
“This is a hotspot on the goathead hotspot map developed by Boise State University. By removing goatheads here, we can reduce the spread of goatheads to other locations,” Brabec said.
These pesky little pricks have popped bike tires, maimed dog paws and created overgrown, threatening habitats.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they were an evil that was eradicated? Can it be done?
“There is a belief that we can get to that place where Boise is goathead free. I don't know how long it's going to take, but I sincerely feel with the community behind this effort, we can do it,” Brabec said.
On the frontlines of the battle, “Weed Warriors” are on the ground with the tools of their trade.
The strategy is simple. Dig the little suckers out.
You’ll regularly find Dianne Berning digging in with the Weed Warriors. For Berning, the battle is personal.
The sweet flowers on the plant have an ugly side, a side that dives right into tires.
“I have had several flats from goat heads, so it's a huge motivation for me to get out and clean them up, Berning said.
She recalls, not fondly, what a tire puncture feels like.
“More of a slow leak and you get somewhere and you stop and you're having dinner or lunch or whatever, and then you get back on your bike and you're like, 'Oh, it's flat.' So it's kind of that disappointment. It ruins your day when you're out riding,” Berning said.
The team works for a few hours, transforming a new spot every week. There are a lot of spots to hit. But sometimes it does feel like a game -- a competition to see who can dig up the most.
“My father's probably the worst of it. He's always trying to beat everyone else and get more heads than everyone,” Berning said.
Even local legend "Goathead Ed" can be found all around the city fighting the good fight.
“He can't lift anymore and he has to take breaks because he gets winded. But he would not miss being out here picking out pads every week. It means a lot to him,” Berning said.
Ed knows the landscape well. He can tell you all about the pulls this season.
“He loves that. It's an obsession. As a bike rider, I've always been grateful that he's out. I'll call him and be like, 'Hey, there's a pile here'... And he'll run right out in his car and go pick them up for us,” Berning said.
In a world that can be so divided, goatheads seem to be a unifying topic.
“A lot of people say thank you. I think once again, we can go back to the everyone has a puncture biking story. If you're if you biked in Idaho, you've definitely gotten flat as a result of puncture violence. I think people are very appreciative of this work. My only suggestion would be, you can join. Anyone can pull goatheads,” Brabec said.
Click here to read more about the Weed Warrior program in Boise.
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