Above: The Herd of Hope at Laurel Hill MicroFarm helps clear property through “goatscaping.” This photo was taken from the Laurel Hill MicroFarm Facebook page.
PORTSMOUTH — Talk about animals helping animals.
The Town Council tonight, Aug. 11, will hear a plan to use a herd of goats to clear a portion of an overgrown site at Melville Park that’s being targeted for the town’s first off-leash dog park.
UPDATE: Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve dog park panel’s plan to use goats to clear land from site of future dog park at Melville Park.
Bunny Miller, chairwoman of the Portsmouth Dog Park Planning Committee, will present the panel’s plan to “goatscape” the site, which has become an increasingly popular method of clearing vegetation.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Portsmouth Town Hall, 2300 East Main Road. The full agenda for the meeting can be viewed here.
The dog park group last month voted unanimously hire Laurel Hill MicroFarm of Hope to begin clearing the site from Aug. 25 to Sept. 11.
“While clearing by the goats will not make the site fence-ready, it will allow for an accurate assessment of the property and the development of a complete design, which will in turn allow us to move forward with site-specific fund-raising activities,” Ms. Miller stated in a prepared report to the council.
Adeline, a member of the Herd of Hope at Laurel Hill MicroFarm. The herd helps clear property through “goatscaping.” This photo was taken from the Laurel Hill MicroFarm Facebook page.
The site will remain “natural looking” while being cleared, and “goatscaping” is ecologically sound, with no machinery, fumes, noise or erosion, according to Ms. Miller.
Goats eat vegetation at all times of the day, feasting on stems and leaves as high up as they can reach as well as eating the roots and stripping bark from small trees, said Ms. Miller.
There will be anywhere from 10 to 16 goats clearing the site, which will be fenced in at all times, said Ms. Miller. The public is welcome to come to the entrance of Melville Park off Bradford Road and view the goats as they work, she said.
Sponsorships sought
The estimated cost to use the goats is $370 per day with an overnight stay. Individuals or businesses may sponsor the herd and place advertising at the site, said Ms. Miller; anyone who wants more information should contact her at 401/683-0709. Volunteers are also being sought to clear pathways for fencing — to be erected by Laurel Hill — in 50×100-foot sections.
A goat ascends a downed tree at Laurel Hill MicroFarm. The goats remove the foliage, making it safer for farmhands to cut up the tree. This photo was taken from the Laurel Hill MicroFarm Facebook page.
The dog park panel has been contacting local groups such as Aquidneck Land Trust and Norman Bird Sanctuary to see if they could use the “goatscaping” service in order to share time and reduce costs, said Ms. Miller.
The dog park panel has vowed to build the park without using tax dollars. Money is being sought through fund-raisers, grants and donations. A restricted receipt account for the Town of Portsmouth Dog Park Fund had a balance of $7,323 as of June 30, Ms. Miller said.