By Carol Tannenhauser
You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’s not enamored of the Riverside Park goats — those champion chompers who have been summering in the city since 2019 (with a hiatus in 2020), eating their way through invasive and itch-producing weeds in a hard-to-access area in the northern part of the Park, now named “Goatham” in their honor.
But with goats come great responsibilities, and so the Riverside Park Conservancy is seeking volunteers to help out. Here are the details, sent to WSR by Kristen Meade, volunteer program manager.
There are two ways to volunteer with us: Goat Patrol and Goat Herding. We ask for a weekly commitment from volunteers through the summer.
Please read the overviews below and then fill out our Goat Patrol & Herding survey to sign up by Tues 6/21.
Goat Patrol
WHAT: A walk around the fence to spot check safety issues.
WHEN: Recommended time is between 5:30-7:00 PM, and will take approximately 30 minutes.
Goat Patrol members do not interact directly with the goats.
Goat Herding
WHAT: Goat herding volunteers will be paired with staff to help herd the goats into an enclosed shelter at night.
WHEN: Goat herders meet at 6:30pm at the 119th Street fence and lead the goats to their shelter. This may change to 6pm later in mid-August due to shorter daylight hours.
Goat herders do physically engage with goats.
Goat herders must be physically fit – this can be quite a physical feat as some of our goats are upwards of 100 lbs and can be stubborn!
Goat herders must be at least 15 years old.
The goats spend much of the day traipsing through (and eating!) poison ivy, and while we will make Tyvek coverall suits available, we discourage anyone from participating in herding if you know you develop a severe reaction to poison ivy.
Goat Herding Orientation
If you think this opportunity is right for you, please plan to attend one of our upcoming orientations.
Your RSVP will be recorded on our Goat Patrol & Herding survey.
Dates: Tuesday, June 21st OR Monday, June 27th
Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Meeting Location: 120th Street & Riverside Drive
Rain location: 108th Street Volunteer House
Contact: Kristen Meade 347-287-1114
Goat luck!
I can’t wait to retire and start my volunteer career as a goat herder on the UWS! Seriously, the goats are awesome
[…] Arriving on June 29th from a farm in Rhinebeck, NY, the goats will spend all summer in the city. Fans are encouraged to follow the Conservancy’s social media platforms closely for details regarding their popular “Running of the Goats” in the coming weeks. […]
Hopefully the volunteer goat herders will be serenaded by other volunteers singing “The Lonely Goat Herd” from “The Sound of Music”:
“High on a hill was a lonely goatherd / Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo / Folks in a town that was quite remote heard /
Lay ee odl lay ee odl lay hee hoo….”
That should get everyone’s goat!