JAY, Okla. — Bob Kuningas's life on the lake only started two years ago, but as soon as he moved in, he heard about the goats.
Legend says that there was a drought in the 1950s, and the goats walked over to the island. When the water returned, the 15-acre island became their home.
WATCH: Grand Lake neighbors restoring Goat Island
“When we bought the house two years ago, some of the people asked if we’d seen the goats, and at that time, there were only two of them left," said Kuningas.
Kuningas's home is only 300 feet across the lake from the island. He's learned Goat Island is a beloved part of Grand Lake culture.
"I’ve had grandparents say that they remember when they were kids, they’ve seen goats on Goat Island. People, I was a kid, and my parents or my grandparents took me there to play with the goats.”
The final two goats died from old age about a year after the Kuningas's moved in.
When he let the community know, Kuningas said it was overwhelming, everyone saying they needed to get goats back on the island.
"I was just like 'hey, the goats passed away,' and people said 'let's get them back,' so my wife and I said, 'okay lets do it,'" he said. “I was contacted by Steve Roads, who owns the Tow Boat USA here on Grand Lake, and he donated the first money to buy the first goats. After that, Facebook did Facebook."
Two goats became a herd of seven on the island. All of the goats were donated by members of the community.
Since getting the goats back, Kuningas said he has people stop him all the time, asking how they can help and sharing childhood memories about the island.
"I’ve had grandparents say that they remember when they were kids, they’ve seen goats on Goat Island," he said. "It’s just something extra on the lake. It’s something free that everyone can be part of, and 'hey, those are my goats too.'”
While he and his grandson Titus go over and feed the goats every other day, there's no shortage of support to keep the island going. Kuningas said businesses and neighbors all over are reaching out for ways to help.
“I asked if somebody wanted to help, I’d appreciate a little help, especially in the winter with feeding and stuff," he said. "I didn’t expect the whole community saying hey yeah, let’s do it.”
As someone with a passion for animals and a background working with wildlife, this was about preserving something special on the lake for Kuningas.
The lake's reaction was just a bonus.
"I didn’t know I was touching them in this manner, and it feels good that I’ve actually found something to really give back to the community," he said. "I didn’t know it was going to mean so much to so many different people.”
It is a public island on GRDA property that anyone can visit and spend time with the goats.
While they're starting with seven right now, there could be new additions come next year.
“When they kid, we’ll watch, we’ll keep an eye on them," he said. "If we get more than we think the island can hold, we can move them, we can find them new homes. GRDA has already told us that maybe we can move to another island with some of them. So we’ve got plans."
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