News

These adorable goats are coming back to Harlem next month!

The gardening goats are back at it.

Anna Rahmanan
Written by
Anna Rahmanan
Senior National News Editor
Goats in Riverside Park
Photograph: Alison Ettinger-DeLong
Advertising

For the fifth summer in a row, a herd of goats is moving to Harlem to help turn the area into an ecologically pristine environment—courtesy of the Riverside Park Conservancy. 

Stationed at 120th Street in the past, the animals—Charlise, Chico, Godiva, Mallomar, Paris, Romeo and Turbo—will move to Riverside Park at West 143rd Street, where officials hope they'll be able to make as much of a positive impact as they have a few streets over, on July 12.

"Thanks to the goat crew’s hard work at 120th Street over the past four summers, the human staff at the Conservancy and NYC Parks now have access to a much clearer slope," reads an official press release. "With the success of the goats’ work at that location, native understory and large trees to fill in gaps can be installed, protecting the existing mature tree canopy."

Goats in River Park
Graphic: Courtesy of River Park Conservancy

Further uptown, the goats will be tasked with munching on poison ivy and other invasive plants that are hard for human gardeners to navigate. 

The effort is part of the Riverside Park Conservancy's North Park Initiative, which seeks to bring more resources, maintenance and programming to particular portions of the park.

"These areas, which span between West 120th and 181st Streets, have seen years of neglect and disinvestment, leading to great disparities in amenities, cleanliness and overall conditions," reads the release. "In its efforts to cultivate a more equitable experience across the Park and enhance recreation and fitness opportunities, the Conservancy has welcomed new public programming to the natural shoreline at 145th Street and has unveiled new outdoor exercise equipment at 151st Street."

A bit about the animals themselves: the seven goats come from Green Goats in Rhinebeck, New York, a group founded back in 2008 to harness "goats' natural affinity for consuming weeds, bringing them to locations across the United States for a pesticide-free alternative to clearing invasive species," according to the release.

Mallomar in particular may look familiar to many: he was crowned the G.O.A.T. (see what they did there) by the public just last year.

Popular on Time Out

    You may also like
    You may also like
    Advertising