our grazing project
Grazing sheep also helps improve soil health and biodiversity within the Preserve.
From mid-July to September, visitors may see the sheep grazing behind fences along the Brother Yusuf Memorial Trail – but be sure not to pet or feed them, they need their space to work!
We use a flock of sheep to manage vegetation inside Tivoli Lake Preserve.
The project aims to raise awareness of how grazing efforts can be used to suppress established plants. When fenced in densely and managed with rotational grazing, sheep eat vegetation and clear space for native species to return.
Common Reed (Phragmites australis) is a tall, reed-like plant with a feathery seed head at its top that creates limited visibility within the preserve. These invasive grasses trap and camouflage trash illegally dumped or blown into the preserve, and grow in dense thickets that displace native plant species from thriving.
Our targeted grazing focuses on Common Reed (Phragmites australis) and will occur along a portion of the Brother Yusuf Memorial Trail in Tivoli Lake Preserve.
Note: Our flock did not graze in 2025.
In the past, this project has had support from the Albany County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM).
The 2017-2019 grazing project was part of a larger initiative associated with Albany 2030 that aims to revitalize the underused green space in downtown Albany.
Through funds provided by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, the City of Albany began implementing various projects including invasive species management using a flock of sheep based on research and work done by Professor Gary S. Kleppel of the Department of Biological Sciences and former longtime director of the University’s Biodiversity, Conservation, and Policy Program.
Please note the work completed between 2017-2018 was done under our former name, Tivoli Preserve Community Farm.
Governors Island grazing
From 2020 to 2025, we had a partnership with Governors Island. As of 2026, this project has been completed, but we are grateful for our work to date!
Five sheep, named Bowie, Philip Aries, Chad, Jupiter, and Evening, summered on Governors Island, helping to control invasive plant species in beautiful Hammock Grove by eating them.
The mini-flock had a shelter in Hammock Grove and rotated among sections (also known as “petals”) to help manage mugwort and phragmites, the same plant they had been eating along the trails in Tivoli Lake Preserve.
They were cared for by The Trust for Governors Island’s horticultural team. The team also monitored their progress and effectiveness in controlling invasive plant species.
About Our Animals
Please note that our animals are working animals and we are not a petting zoo.
Thank you for understanding!
A small flock of sheep, chickens, and alpacas is housed at Tivoli Lake Preserve during the lush vegetation of Summer and early Fall.
Our sheep are used to manage vegetation at Tivoli Lake Preserve. Our sheep are a mix of wool and meat breeds, though we do not use them for meat (we respect the farmers who do this important work).
The flock essentially lives long lives, grazing the land and providing education opportunities. However, transitions occur as part of the cycle. We do our best to honor their lives, celebrating their lives and grieving their losses when they occur. It is our mission to give them happy, healthy lives, and they are essentially in a blissful retirement.
Our breeds are Dorset, Corriedale, and Katahdin crosses. We also have one blue-faced Leicester x North Country Cheviot.
During the day, they are fenced into small paddocks using portable electric fencing and a solar fence charger. On grazing mornings, our shepherd moves the animals in with the help of a border collie, and a small group of volunteers helps with shepherding them to the barnyard in the evening.
Our chickens help control parasite populations in the barnyard, reducing the risk of lethal gastrointestinal diseases in the flock.
Our alpacas help ward off predators, preventing the chickens and sheep from being harmed by other animals.
Our flock is supported by veterinarians and adheres to guidelines provided by the New York State Sheep and Goat Health Assurance Program.
The sheep and alpaca are shorn once a year. The wool has been used for fiber projects.
Starting in 2025, the fiber will be given to the Hudson Valley Textile Project as part of their wool pool.
Whatever can’t be used is used as mulch in our gardens.
Fun Alpaca Facts!
Fun Sheep Facts!
A baby alpaca is called a “cria” (cre-a), the father a “sire”, and the mother a “dam”
Alpacas are members of the Camelid family, along with llamas, camels, guanacos, and vicuñas
Alpacas and llamas have soft, padded, cloven feet designed for negotiating rocky areas. They have two separate, long toes with a nail on the end of each, that allow for excellent traction on rocky surfaces, and they are strong and agile climbers, using their long necks for balance.
A girl sheep is called a “ewe”.
A boy sheep is called a “ram”.
A castrated boy sheep is called a “wether”.
Sheep are “ruminants” which means they have FOUR stomachs!!!
When it looks like they are chewing gum, this is called “chewing cud”.
Fun Chicken Facts!
Blood circulates between the wattle and comb which cools them down.
They have no teeth and cannot bite, but have beaks that peck and nip.
They have eyes on either side of of their head giving them 180 degree vision
Earlobe color predicts egg color.
Wings allow them to fly short distances.
Once a year they molt (lose their feathers).
Chickens have a vocabulary of over 30 different sounds!
A boy chicken is a “rooster”, a female is a “hen”. Chickens can have a pecking order, so it is not recommended to add single chickens to a flock. We keep hens, to keep our flock size down.
Thanks to our friends at Earth Matter NY for the fun facts about chickens!
The animals are housed at Albany’s historic Normanksill Farm in the colder months.
The Normanskill Farm, also home to community gardens and a dog park, is rich in a history that begins with the establishment of Normansville in the early 1800s.
Research articles
On using sheep to manage invasive species
Caroline B. Girard-Cartier and Gary S. Kleppel (2015)
Grazing as a Control for the Spread of Mile-a-Minute (Persicaria perfoliata) and the Restoration of Biodiversity in Plant Communities in a Lower New York State Parkland
Gary S. Kleppel and Caroline B. Girard-Cartier (2011)
Invasive Plant Control by Livestock: From Targeted Eradication to Ecosystem Restoration
Gary S. Kleppel (2019)
Microbial community structure in pasture and hayfield soils of the Helderberg region of New York State: a comparison of management strategies, Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems
DOI: 10.1080/21683565.2019.1591564
Gary S. Kleppel and Erin LaBarge (2011)
Using Sheep to Control Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
On how “grazing-done-right” can have positive effects on the plants and birds in grasslands.
Lisa R. Cassidy1 and Gary Kleppel
(2017)
The Effect of Grazing Regime on Grassland Bird Abundance in New York State
Caroline B. Girard-Cartier and Gary S. Kleppel and (2017)
Grazing and the Coupling of Biodiversity in Vascular Plant and Soil Microbial Communities