On June 10 and 11, a team of 40-50 hoofed eco-workers will return to Don Valley Brick Works Park as part of the City of Toronto’s innovative approach to urban meadow management. The “eco-herd” of goats will spend two days grazing a new section of the park’s meadow to help control woody and invasive plant species.

Visitors are welcome to observe the goats in action between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on both days, with educational talks offered at noon, 2 p.m., and 5 p.m. to explain the environmental benefits of prescribed grazing.

This marks the second year of the City’s eco-grazing initiative. In 2024, Toronto became the first municipality in Ontario to implement a comprehensive goat grazing program for ecosystem management. After the successful pilot, the city is expanding the project in 2025.

“The safety and welfare of the goats, the public and staff is of the utmost importance in the Prescribed Grazing Pilot Project,” the city stated in a news release when the program was first launched. “The goats are provided a secure enclosure, where they can graze in a herd, which is a natural behaviour. The goats are never used for purposes other than grazing and are always provided direct access to water and shelter.”

Urban managed meadows like those at Don Valley Brick Works Park play a key role in supporting biodiversity and urban ecology. The goats help maintain these habitats in a natural, chemical-free way, offering an engaging—and eco-friendly—solution to invasive plant control.