This week, you may see something a bit unusual in one of New Rochelle’s parks.
For approximately nine days starting on Monday, June 2, visitors can see a herd of 28 goats eating their way through plants and weeds in Ward Acres Park. That’s right, goats will be taking up residence in Ward Acres Park to help staff tame invasive species that have taken hold in parts of the park.
In honor of the goats’ visit, the Ward Acres Conservancy, which helps manage the park, and the New Rochelle Parks and Recreation Department are hosting a family-friendly event called ‘Hands & Hooves: A Sustainability Festival’ on Saturday, June 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In addition to the goats, the festival will celebrate the park and promote easy-to-implement, environmentally-friendly practices that people can integrate into their lives.
Ward Acres Park “is an incredibly special place,” said Steve Cadenhead, who’s the president of Ward Acres Conservancy and co-chair of the Hands & Hooves Sustainability Festival.
“We just want to promote the park itself to the community, and let the community know what a jewel they have right in their backyard,” he said.
How goats help maintain Ward Acres Park
The Ward Acres Conservancy brought goats in to help with park maintenance for the first time last year. Once a horse farm with rolling hills and wide-open pastures, Ward Acres Park is now a 68-acre wooded green space with walking trails, community garden and dog park available to area residents.
But because it is heavily wooded, the park also requires extensive maintenance.
According to Cadenhead, members of the Ward Acres Conservancy and human volunteers used to try to cut down vines and invasive plants by hand.
“But the invasives were definitely winning,” Cadenhead said.
“These areas are so dense that they’re not even accessible by humans. A lot of times there are thorns, and it’s eight feet tall, and you can’t get in there,” he added.
Goats, however, known to be voracious eaters, can be used to help clear out invasive plant species and weeds in dense, planted areas — like Ward Acres Park — and can remove them at a much faster rate than human volunteers can.
The goats, provided by woman-run company Fat & Sassy Goats, eat their way through carefully chosen areas in the park. It is then much easier for volunteers to come in after them, Cadenhead said, to continue removing invasive plants and replace them with plants native to the environment.
If you go to the Hands & Hooves Sustainability Festival
The Ward Acres Conservancy found the goats’ visit last year to be such a big hit with park visitors that they planned the Hands & Hooves Sustainability Festival to celebrate the goats’ return while promoting sustainability in the park and beyond.
Activities will include food trucks, live music, vendors, nature walks and — of course — the chance to see goats munching on some plants.
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, June 7. (Rain date: Sunday, June 8.)
Where: Ward Acres Park, Quaker Ridge Road and Sussex Road, New Rochelle. Use the Broadfield Rd. entrance.
Getting there: Organizers recommend visitors walk, bike or take the BeeLine 45Q to the festival. For drivers, free parking is available at Ward Elementary School across the street from Ward Acres Park. Parking is also available along Broadfield Rd., where signs permit.
What else to know: This is a zero waste event. Festival goers should bring their own water bottle, which can be refilled at the event. Organizers also recommend bringing a picnic blanket and sunscreen.
Well-behaved dogs are welcome at the festival; they must stay on-leash and be picked up after.
For more information and updates on activities available during the Hands & Hooves Festival, check out the Ward Acres Conservancy website at wardacresconservancy.org.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Rochelle brings goats to a town park: What are they doing there? See photos
Reporting by Samantha Antrum, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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