Upper Dublin Eschews Mowers for Sheep in Eco-Experiment

Upper Dublin is experimenting with lawn mowers to cut back on unwanted plantlife on township property—wooly lawnmowers, that is, according to The Ambler Gazette.

Township manager Paul Leonard teamed up with Susan Sacks, Temple University Ambler’s assistant director of the Center for Sustainable Communities, a little over a month ago, to see how well 11 sheep would fare in nibbling back the tall grass and invasive weeds that grow in a swath of township property.

This pilot project began at that time by introducing the sheep to a detention basin behind the Upper Dublin Township building.

“I was looking at goats for years; there’s a whole movement using goats for vegetative management,” Leonard said, indicating that he first learned about it on National Public Radio. “We’re swapping mowers for grazers.”

Upper Dublin owns approximately 700 acres of land, which includes storm-water detention basins.  According to Leonard, he has been trying to find ways to maintain some of the areas that are priced less than contract mowers.

Leonard has worked with Sacks on other projects.  When he raised the issue of Upper Dublin’s plantlife management, Sacks suggested that he try using her Katahdin sheep that she raises on her Perkiomenville farm, which she described as “hardy, prolific and not needing to be sheered.”

“Goats get into trouble; they’re too sneaky,” Leonard said.

The sheep have been chomping away at the detention basin where they are said to have settled comfortably and have eaten away unwanted brush.  So far they have eaten an invasive grass, poison oak, and poison ivy, said Sacks.

“Right now it looks like it’s working out pretty well,” said Leonard, indicating that the township took “before” photos and is taking photos of the sheep’s progress.  The sheep could be moved to other basins in the township in the future, he said.

Leonard stressed that the sheep are not pets and that residents should not handle or feed them.

“We’re learning,” he said, adding “interesting and effective are two different things.”