project leader
Margie S
location
Bandi Shaum, South Side Park
(South Side Slopes, South Side Flats, Arlington)
latest update rss
No updates yet.

the project

Goat Fest - a celebration of the Allegheny Goatscape herd of goats grazing in South Side Park for a month - has become an important event for the park and surrounding communities. It is a crucial piece of the ecological restoration of a specific area of the park, known as Jurassic Valley, as it connects community members and visitors to the work that is being done. We expect to welcome thousands of people at the Third Annual Goat Fest to experience the park's beauty and learn more about this restoration work. The goats' role in the restoration process is eating invasive vines and other plants that prevent healthy trees from growing in Jurassic Valley. By removing these invasive plants and planting new trees, we can begin to reforest this space, making it a navigable area and helping to prevent soil erosion and reduce stormwater runoff. 

The work of the goats has a meanignful impact in the park, and we are happy to recognize and celebrate this. We love seeing the park filled with community members, families, students, and visitors excited to visit the goats, enjoy all that the park has to offer, and learn more about everything that is happening here. We love South Side Park, and we want to share our excitement with as many people as possible. We need your help to make this the best Goat Fest yet!

the steps

Friends of South Side Park has been working to get grants and sponsorships to be able to host a third Goat Fest this year. We have been fortunate to recieve a $5,000 grant from REI to help brings the goats to the park to work for a month in Jurassic Valley. We have also received support from UPMC Mercy and Michael Baker to help us fund all of the activities that we are planning for the Goat Fest celebration. We have been working to make this year's event bigger and better with new performers and musical acts, a larger selection of goat-themed craft vendors, some of the best food vendors in pittsburgh, and more activities for the whole family. Your donation will help us pay for supplies for the event, as well as marketing materials and signage. We are currently working to design and print directional and informational signage and maps to ensure that all of our visitors are able to fully enjoy their time in South Side Park at Goat Fest. 

You donation will also help us prepare for next year's Goat Fest. We want to ensure that this is an event that will continue in South Side Park for years to come. The restoration of Jurassic Valley is a process that will take time, and we want to continue to invite the goats of Allegheny Goatscape to be part of this process. They help us with crucial work in the park, clearing invasive plants and attracting visitors to learn about the work in the park and enjoy the beautiful space.

 

why we're doing it

South Side Park is a 65-acre signature community park, one of the largest publicly-owned green spaces in South Pittsburgh. The park is rich in history and significant to the community. It's a quiet and peaceful space for community members to walk and hike along various trails and catch some breath-taking views of the city. It is also important because of its potential to capture stormwater runoff and prevent soil erosion and landslides. 

Friends of South Side Park formed as a volunteer-based advocacy group representing the diverse set of user groups in South Side Park. We are community members who want to make South Side Park a more beautiful and accessible space for all of the surrounding community and visitors from across Pittsburgh. With a Master Plan completed last year by the City of Pittsburgh and up to a $10 million investment from the City and the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, we are looking forward to many exciting improvement project coming in the next few years. We know that we can help to improve the park by continuing our work in Jurassic Valley - a 10-acre area that is overgrown with invasive species and vines - clearing invasives and planting trees to begin to reforest the area, as well as picking up litter and maintaining trails.

In 2017, Friends of South Side Park undertook Phase 1 of the ecological restoration of Jurassic Valley with a $10,000 grant from the Allegheny County Conservation District that allowed for 6 weeks of invasive vine removal by Allegheny Goatscape and set the stage for the first Goat Fest, which attracted 1,000 participants to South Side Park. Last year, the 2nd Annual Goat Fest brought over 3,000 people to the park to celebrate incredible projects being undertaken by the City of Pittsburgh, South Side Park partners, volunteers, and community members, including the restoration of Jurassic Valley. Friends of South Side Park hired Allegheny Goatscape for a second time to bring their goats to work in the valley. The work of the goats, followed by volunteer restoration workdays, brought us closer to our goal of reforesting Jurassic Valley, making it a green space that can be enjoyed by people across Pittsburgh. 

Friends of South Side Park continues its work to restore Jurassic Valley and are planning the 3rd Annual Goat Fest for July 27, 2019, but we need your help. We are raising money to support this year's Goat Fest - which will bring community members and visitors to the park and raise awareness of the work that is being done to make it a better space for all - and we are raising money to ensure that we can continue to bring the goats to the park in the future as we reforest Jurassic Valley. 

 

 

budget

Disbursed Budget:

Printing and Signage costs - $343.38



TOTAL RAISED = $354.00
ioby Platform Fee waived
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) $10.62
TOTAL TO DISBURSE= $343.38

Original Budget:

Supplies - $500

Printing and Signage - $500



PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED = $1,000
ioby Platform Fee $35
ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) $32
TOTAL TO RAISE = $1,067

updates

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photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Anonymous
  • James Manzella
  • James Balser
  • Danica Wuchenich
  • friend of south side park
  • Mike
  • A Friend of South ide Park