South Side Park Restoration
10 Goats and a Donkey Transform Park with CLIP Grant Funding


The Problem with Invasive Species
A six-acre portion of South Side Park, known as Jurassic Valley, was overrun with vines and invasive species, threatening park trees, surrounding public infrastructure and future conservation efforts.

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Invasive species growing in South Side Park's Jurassic Valley prior to CLIP grant funding.
Restoring South Side Park
From 2017 to 2018, Hilltop Alliance received $20,000 from ACCD’s Conservation, Leadership and Innovation Program to remove invasive species and improve the park’s ecology with help from Allegheny Goatscape’s herd.
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Allegheny Goatscape's herd clears invasive species during the first Goat Fest in 2017.
Goat Fest
After a successful phase one clearing in 2017, Allegheny Goatscape’s 10 goats and 1 donkey returned to South Side Park for 40 days. The second Goat Fest on July 28, 2018, drew 4,000+ attendees to South Side Park.

The 2018 event included a larger food truck round-up, expanded live music, a new craft vendor market on the Paved Loop Trail and improved parking. Throughout the event all three parking lots were full to capacity, and every trail in the park was filled with families traversing the hillsides.

Restoration Tree Planting
Friends of South Side Park hosted the first restoration tree planting on the Sterling Street Trail in November with Plant Five for Life and 30 volunteers. The event was supported by a site preparation work day with University of Pittsburgh students during Pitt Make a Difference Day. Ten trees were planted: black birch, sweetgum, American plum, and larch from Tree Pittsburgh Heritage Nursery.