Horses Tend the Grasses at Pilot Knob

The landscape-maintenance experiment at Pilot Knob is going well, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported—with horses grazing on the grassy expanses: 


"'I'm pretty confident this is the first time horses have been used on public land in the Twin Cities,' said Wiley Buck, a restoration ecologist for Great River Greening ... 'It's unique and creative, and the council thinks so, too,' City Administrator Justin Miller said of the horses. 'So we agreed to a one-year trial period to see how it goes.' ...

"In 2005, the city bought an 8.5-acre piece of the hill for $2 million from the owners of Acacia Park Cemetery and dashed the hopes of developers who wanted to build 157 upscale townhomes there. Two years later, the last 15 adjacent acres were secured with help from preservationists and state and local funds. ... The horses will graze until October or so, and the practice may become annual, Buck said. 'If it goes well, then we'll talk to the city about bringing in goats,' he said. 

Related at Mendota Heights Patch: 

• Pilot Knob Historic Site Receives $75,000 
• Supporters of Pilot Knob in Mendota Heights Restore Past
• Pilot Knob Clean-Up Draws Volunteers, Public Officials
• Restoration Continues at Pilot Knob Historic Site