The pack of strong-stomached goats have returned from retirement
The weed-munching goats introduced to Prospect Park’s Vale of Cashmere in May did such a good job clearing away the area’s poisonous invasive plants that they ate themselves out of a job by June. But the bad thing about weeds, any gardener knows, is that they grow back. So good for the goats—they’ve been brought back to the park to munch away on the new, unwanted growth, DNAinfo reports.
The goats have returned two short of their original crew, Raptor and Skittles, who get to stay upstate in Rhinebeck, New York. The herbivorous animals back on the job will continue to munch away on the poisonous invasive plant species that have overtaken the Vale of Cashmere ahead of the area’s planned revitalization.
In August 2015 the Prospect Park Alliance announced that it would be giving the park’s historically neglected northeast corner, which includes the Vale of Cashmere and Rose Garden, a much-needed makeover. The locales have been remembered by the New York Times as areas "notorious for drug transactions and sexual activity" that has "scared off local residents" for too long.
What exactly the makeover entails is still foggy, but the Prospect Park Alliance was awarded $727,970 from the National Parks Service as well as an additional grant for future woodlands restoration on nearby Lookout Hill.
The goats are working to clear away unwanted growth in an area affected by severe weather. Once they’re finished their job (again), the alliance will re-stabilize the steep area with ditches and timber that will stop runoff. The areas will then be replanted with native species.
The goats are munching in a fenced-in area, and will be returned to sleeping pens in the evening. Although they’re at work, park visitors can see the goats doing their thing near the Zucker Natural Exploration Area.
from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/8/19/12556932/prospect-park-weed-eating-goats
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