Ypsilanti officials have been having a difficult time finding green solutions to removing invasive plants from their city parks.
Riverside Park in Ypsilanti has been struggling with Japanese Knotweed and other plants taking the place of local flora. Park officials decided to have sheep provided by Project Mow Ypsi to try to eat invasive plants.
Bonnie Wessler is Ypsilanti’s public works manager. She says while the sheep were effective as a green alternative in mowing park grass, they had difficulty getting rid of the knotweed.
“We brought them in to see if they would help us address some invasive species, and we were hoping to see if the sheep would take a liking to them. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, but it was a valid experiment, and everybody loved seeing the sheep.”
Wessler says the city will continue working with Project Mow for other ventures and will explore more options to eliminate invasive plants in their parks.
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