Don't be surprised by the sight of goats if you happen to be biking or jogging past Stuyvesant Cove Park in the days ahead.
Solar One, the environmental nonprofit that manages Stuyvesant Cove Park on the East River between 18th Street and 23rd Street, came up with a unique way to combat the overgrown weeds in the green space... 20 goats from Green Goats of Rhinebeck arrived today to eat all they want within a fenced-in area in the Park.
EVG readers Louise & Danny shared the photos in this post today.
Here's more via Solar One:
New York City's parks are proving to be yet another unwitting victim of the pandemic crisis. Short staffing, budget cuts, and reduced volunteer opportunities have left many of our green spaces to their own devices, and the weeds have been having a (literal) hay day.
Compounding the issue is the fact that as New York residents have needfully turned to parks as safe outlets for socialization and recreation, they have also, sadly, left excessive trash and trampled plantings in their wake.
"It’s just a lot for our two person team to handle," says Candace Thompson, the manager of Stuyvesant Cove Park. "Mother Nature really got the jump on us with the weeds this spring and I feel like we’ll never catch up on top of everything else."
Which is why that particular park has decided to hire some help of the non-human variety. ... During their tenure, the goats will be charged with a simple task: eat everything in sight.
Solar One ... hopes this will assist park staff in minimizing excessive plant biomass while also fertilizing the soil for next season, all in just a few short days. While goats may seem an unorthodox fix to a weed problem, foraging animals have long been used in sustainable agricultural practices to manage overabundant species, and Green Goats in particular have been lending their services to public spaces and institutions across the greater New York area for over 15 years.
One thing — beware of petting the goats...
