Fleece-covered grounds crew begins work

The Living Prairie Museum is once again alive with the bleating of sheep.

For a second year, a flock will take part in a City of Winnipeg pilot project to test if grazing sheep are a viable option for vegetation management.

The animals will spend their weekdays in a temporary, moveable, fenced enclosure at the Ness Avenue preserve. They’ll return to their home farm on the weekends.

Living Prairie Museum, located in St. James-Assiniboia, is one of the few remaining local areas still occupied by native tall grass prairie, according to a city news release Monday. More than 160 species of plants and wildlife are situated on the park’s 30 acres.

"There have been a number of studies showing that grazers can have a positive effect when maintaining natural areas and can be an effective tool for weed control," city naturalist Rodney Penner said in the release.

Visitors can watch the sheep graze, but they aren’t permitted to pet, feed or directly interact with the animals.

Organizers will follow the Canadian National Farm Animal Care Council code of practice for the care and handling of sheep while managing the grazers. Millar Safety & Environmental Services, Prairie Habitats Inc., and a Manitoba sheep farmer will be on the museum’s grounds for about two weeks.

Visitors should stay on the museum’s trails and keep any dogs on-leash, according to the city.

The museum’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages will have updates on its unusual maintenance crew.

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca