Each summer The Goats of Roan are protected by a Great Pyrenees or two.
This Pyrenees held totally still as the kid’s legs sunk half their length into his fur and then peered curiously down at him. After five years of making images of these angora goats it was the first time I was able to get close enough to photograph one of the kids.

The goats are on the Roan Mountain Highlands near the Appalachian Trail which runs along the Tennessee / North Carolina border.

The goats spend the summer on the mountain balds at 5800’-5900’ in elevation as part of the Baatany Goat project. The 10-year project is designed to determine if the goats can naturally control the spread of the Canadian Blackberry and other invasive plants.