A few days ago, an adorable baby goat joined the herd that’s spending the summer at Freshkills Park. The small kid spent her first few days of life enjoying a restful and shady corner of the park surrounded by tall grasses, before, as their devoted herder Larry Cihanek had planned, she and her mom were taken back to their farm in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

Be sure to check out our Facebook and Flickr pages for tons more photos of the goats in action. Our newest residents, with names such as Mozart, Haydn and Van Goat, seem to already be enjoying life (and lunch) at Freshkills Park!

About 2,000 people joined us for the second annual Sneak Peak at Freshkills Park on Sunday, soaking up the incredible fall weather and taking part in the many, many activities we had to offer: making and flying kites, kayaking in the creeks (our registration records show 317 kayakers over the course of the day), walking the site with an expert, riding ponies, petting goats, making bags and birdhouses, learning about recycling and energy efficiency, enjoying the fun music, cool crafts and tasty food and generally celebrating the potential of this fascinating and amazing site.

On Friday, the Freshkills Park Development Team took a field trip to the town of Hempstead on Long Island to check out the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve, formerly the Merrick Landfill.  We were drawn to the site by its herd of Nigerian dwarf goats, purchased in 2009 and herded by park rangers to eradicate invasive weeds and overgrowth at the site (The initial herd of five had recently given birth to nine kids, and the names of these kids were announced on Friday, too). 

Corporate masticating mowers: now officially a phenomenon!  Last week we mentioned Bayer Healthcare inviting sheep to chow down on their overgrown Richmond, CA lawn.  This week, Google has hired 200 goats to graze on dry brush at its Mountain View headquarters.