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Abstract
Using participant observations, surveys, and interviews, we characterized student interactions with goats in a farm to school program; quantified parent attitudes toward the use of goats in school and community settings and their perceptions of goats influence on their childs educational and environmental experiences; and determined the values of volunteers and organizers participating in goat-assisted restoration projects and the perceived outcomes of these projects in urban settings. Participant observations of student interactions with goats revealed that intimate or sentimental interactions with the goats were most frequently occurring, and that this potentially led to more interactions with other aspects of students outdoor environment. Surveys of parent attitudes showed that parents have an overwhelmingly positive attitude toward goats and believe they positively influence their childs educational experience. Surveys and interviews discovered that participants in goat-assisted restoration projects tend to be motivated by personal values, led to transitions in participants values after experience, and revealed that community engagement and interest was a pivotal perceived outcome of goat-assisted restoration projects.