Research Overview

UC Davis “sheepmowing HEALS” project seeks to leverage university sheep to redefine urban landscapes as multi-functional spaces that support communities through the provision of the following benefits:

  • Health - improve physical and psychological health

  • Engagement - encourage community education and engagement

  • Aesthetics - contribute to the beauty and identity of a site

  • Labor - provide opportunities to pilot innovative management operations.

  • Sustainability - support ecological sustainability


    If this sounds ambitious to you, that’s because it is.

Research Goals

How can science, design, and practice converge to inform the creation of accessible, multifunctional greenspaces that maximize cultural and environmental values? 

Incorporating sheep into an existing urban greenspace has the potential to offer multiple operational, environmental, and social benefits. However, there is little peer-reviewed evidence to support those claims as they apply to urban lawn landscapes.

Given our hypothesis that sheep can eliminate invasive plants, and improve soil health without compacting the soil, we will be measuring the following environmental factors:

  1. Plant species biodiversity

  2. Microbial activity

  3. Grass length

  4. Soil fertility

  5. Soil compaction

Additionally, fuel and labor costs, fertilizer use, and terrain accessibility will be considered.

Culturally, the addition of sheep to a greenspace can add pastoral beauty to a site, provide a sense of place, inspire urban agro-tourism, serve as a living educational tool, and promote mental health. In addition to movement patterns, social media analysis, and number of visitor interactions, qualitative measurements will also be taken to address these questions. 

Accomplishing the “Sheepmowing HEALS” Project

For this project, 25 campus sheep will be allowed to graze in a fenced 1-acre lawn area on central campus over a period of 3 days, approximately every 3-4 weeks. An adjacent lawn will serve as a control; it will be conventionally maintained by Grounds staff.

It is through the collaboration of a multi-disciplinary group of faculty, staff, students, and community members that this research is made possible.

Background

Utilizing sheep within an urban landscape is no contemporary innovation. Historically, sheep have played a critical role in maintaining landscapes, including iconic ones such as those in Central Park and at the White House. 

Although this practice fell out of favor over the past century, growing awareness and concern for climate change and resource conservation has contributed to a recent resurgence of interest in incorporating sheep into lawnscape management practices.

Central Park, New York

The inclusion of sheep in Central Park can be attributed to Frederick Law Olmsted. Considered by many to be the father of landscape architecture, he often utilized and elevated qualities of nature in his designs on the basis that natural scenery provided people with greater enjoyment when utilizing a space. The inclusion of grazing sheep facilitated the application of this concept. Stating a preference for the aesthetics of sheep-clipped grass over the results of mechanical mowers, Olmsted established a flock of Southdowns in Central Park in 1863. The application of grazing sheep would continue to be applied in his future designs, including Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Franklin Park in Boston, and Washington Park in Chicago.

Sheep grazing in Central Park's "Sheep Meadow". https://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2017/04/21/what-happened-to-the-sheep-of-central-park/

Sheep grazing in Central Park's "Sheep Meadow"

The White House, Washington D.C.

In 1914, superintendent of the Bureau of Public Buildings and Grounds, William H. Harts offered butchers of Washington D.C. to feed their sheep on government grass for free. His proposal was well received, and 100-250 sheep were placed in West Potomac Park, just south of the Lincoln Memorial, where they freely grazed between polo games. Not only was Colonel Harts greatly pleased with the results of sheep trimmed grass, the presence of sheep were well adored by the children. 

 After the US entered World War One in 1917, the country faced labor and supply shortages in the military and at home. In response to these concerns, US president Woodrow Wilson implemented grazing sheep as management for the White House lawns. On May 1, 1918, eighteen prize winning Shropshire sheep freed up men to join the war effort, and the wool was regularly auctioned off to benefit the Red Cross. These patriotic sheep were credited with raising a total of $52,000 (approximately $880,000 today). By the end of Wilson’s term in 1920, the sheep population had grown to 48, but the program was soon discontinued and sheep herding faded into obscurity.

Sheep graze on the White House lawn. https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/sheep-graze-on-the-white-house-lawn

London, England

In the 1920s and 1930s, sheep were routinely introduced into London parks to manage lawns and reduce mowing costs. Shepherds competed for the privilege of grazing their flocks on Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Clapham Common, and other pastures around the city.

Sheep dodging traffic in Hyde Park. https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/london-park-sheep-1926-1938/