A quick update on that farm project planned for the Tivoli Lake Preserve
The farm's sheep grazing at the Normanskill farm, where they lived for the winter.
You might remember Melissa Parade's farm project from the final of last year's AOA Startup Grant competition. Now called The Farm on Peaceable Pastures, it's getting ready to bring sheep and other farm animals to Tivoli Lake Preserve on the north side of Albany later this year as part of a plan to control invasive plants there and make the park more inviting.
From an IndieGoGo campaign to raise money for hens at the farm:
As the City of Albany prepares the necessary infrastructure within the preserve, the animals enlisted for the job have been wintering at Normanskill Farm. We have been caring for sheep and a small number of chickens there since last fall. Each of the nine original sheep gave birth over the winter, so 18 sheep will move to the Tivoli Nature Preserve this summer. The sheep will remove phragmites, the invasive wetland reed, through an intensive rotational grazing style. This style of grazing not only improves bio-diversity but also general soil health.
We hope to also bring 25 laying hens into the preserve. The hens will live primarily in the barn yard, a old baseball field that now houses a small barn. We will build a portable chicken coop, with which we will also be able to bring the chickens through the preserve. Allowing chickens to graze through pastures following the sheep will further improvements to the soil and control parasites populations.
The page includes more details about what's in the works. The goal is to raise $500 for the chickens. We also hear from Melissa that she's on the lookout for people interested in helping out in some way.
And if you want to catch glimpses of what's in progress for the farm, she's been posting updates on the farm's Instagram feed and blog.
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Earlier:
+ Your new career in urban shepherding
+ The future of the Tivoli Lake Preserve
+ Revisiting the reservoir goats
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