The City’s Natural Areas and Trails program is working to manage natural areas in an environmentally friendly fashion. This spring, a small herd of miniature dairy cattle will be chomping down on weeds at Josephine B. Jones and Peak View parks. At JB Jones, the cattle will be in the upper section for several weeks eating cereal rye, an annual grass, which has taken over much of the site and is out-competing more desirable native grasses. Grazing will keep the rye from setting seed and help reduce its presence so chemicals won’t be needed to get rid of it. At the same time, native grass seed will be sown. The cattle will help by “plowing” the seed into the soil and applying some natural “fertilizer”. At Peak View, the cattle will help control cheatgrass and other annual weeds in the natural area along the west side.
In order to contain the cattle, electric fencing will be put up during the grazing so all, or portions, of the sites may be closed to public access if necessary for safety. If sites remain open, the public is cautioned to stay away from the fencing and not disturb the cows.
For more information on the City’s Natural Areas and Trails program, contact Karen Scopel, Natural Lands Coordinator at
karen.scopel@greeleygov.com, 970-339-2417 or visit our web page at
greeleygov.com/parks.