Submitted by Pamela Boyd
So we all saw, or at least heard about, the goats on the bluff, right? There were 140 of them, a couple of shepherds, two horses and a Boarder Collie making up the team. They’ve rotated on now, but at night they were penned by the Centre Street Bridge and during the day munched their way across the breadth of McHugh Bluff from July 29 to Aug 15.
This is part of the city’s brilliant strategy for dealing with invasive plant species. They say the grazing also helps “to encourage biodiversity, the growth of native vegetation, enhance health in natural areas and is part of the City’s integrated approach to managing invasive species"..…good thing the co-op is so vigilant about tracking down Creeping Bell Flower!!
To me, the sight of these lovely creatures ranging across our bluff, is…well….wonderful, beautiful, and visible proof of the city’s commitment to their biodiversity plan. Just as we, in the co-op and on the Grounds Committee, are committed to our biodiversity plan. It’s not just about ensuring we are not harbouring invasive weeds, but that our own beautiful and coveted piece of inner city land is a welcoming place for all kinds of species….from bees to trees, from robins to raspberries, bats and woodpeckers and many thousands more.
The Grounds Committee is committed. This year saw us building bee houses for some species of non-honey-making bees; bat houses to encourage local bats to become co-op residents, if not actual members. We wanted to attract Merlins and Kestrels to keep our Magpie numbers in check but putting up Kestrel houses turned out to be not such a good idea in our close co-op spaces. We’re hoping a house or two on the bluff may attract the aviary hunters and that when the time is right a food forest will occupy some of our land.
The goat program made me feel that perhaps the co-op and the city are partners, after all, in striving towards a truly green inner city. Certainly it is good for them to see that our commitment is strong. And when it comes time to renegotiate our lease, the city will bear this in mind and see our value as green thumbed, inner city partners.