Woodland Restoration in the Vale of Cashmere
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy devastated the Park, damaging and destroying hundreds of trees. A particularly affected area was the secluded Vale of Cashmere, a hidden Park gem.
The Alliance received $1.2 million in funding from the National Parks Service through the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grant Program for Historic Properties, administered by New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, to restore the Vale and Lookout Hill (another damaged area) to a healthy, native woodland habitat.
The Vale of Cashmere is an exquisite spot, unknown to many Park users despite its close proximity to the Long Meadow. The landscape features a kettle pond (the footprint of a 10,000-year-old glacier), and is a favored resting place for migratory birds and Park visitors in-the-know.
The location got its unusual name in the 1890’s, after the setting of Thomas Moore’s epic poem “Lalla Rookh.” It reads, “Who has not heard the Vale of Cashmere/ With its roses the brightest the earth ever gave.” Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted was not enthusiastic about the name, but it stuck.
Vale of Cashmere, 1930
In 2012, Superstorm Sandy brought widespread destruction to the Park. All told, the storm felled over 500 trees throughout the Park, including 50 trees in the Vale alone. Through the grant from the National Park Service and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to repair storm damage in the Vale, Prospect Park Alliance began work to restore these woodlands: cleaning up storm damage, resetting damaged boulders, and planting native trees and shrubs in order to stabilize the Vales slopes.
Damage after Superstorm Sandy, 2012
In areas where trees fell, invasive plants were able to thrive and harm the natural ecosystem. Steep slopes and poison ivy made the task a daunting one for staff, so Prospect Park Alliance called in the experts—a herd of goats!
Mary Keehbauch, Alliance Natural Resources Crew foreperson, with a Prospect Park goat, 2016.
Goats were uniquely suited for the task of clearing the Vale—they loved eating weeds, were sure-footed on steep slopes, consumed a quarter of their body-weight in plants every day and didn’t mind New York City’s summer heat! Plus, they were pretty cute.
Goats in Prospect Park, 2016.
During the summers of 2016 and 2017, the goats were tasked with eating the invasive weeds that had overtaken these areas. Each time a weed was eaten, it had less energy to grow back. After two seasons of being continually consumed, weed populations were weakened to the point that native species could be planted and have a chance to establish themselves.
Prospect Park goat "Max," 2016.
On October 19, 2017—exactly 150 years to the day that Olmsted and Vaux opened Prospect Park’s doors to the public for the first time—Prospect Park Alliance volunteers and staff rolled up their sleeves and got planting.
Over 20,000 trees, plants and shrubs were planted throughout the Vale of Cashmere. These plants were a selection of native species, aimed at building a healthy and resilient forest habitat for birds, wildlife and humans alike.
Prospect Park Alliance staff and volunteers participate in a planting in the Vale, 2017.
While the woodland restoration in the Vale of Cashmere is largely complete, some work will continue in perpetuity. Alliance staff and volunteers will work to protect the new trees and plants, and give them the best shot at reaching maturity, until the Vale is again populated by towering trees.
Learn more about the Alliance’s work Preserving the Environment.
Prospect Park Alliance staff and volunteers participate in a planting in the Vale, 2017.