URBAN PASTURES
Urban shepherds and friends herd a flock of sheep along Laurier Ave. E. to Parc Lafond yesterday. The trek was part of a project to connect the city and the countryside — and provide an eco-friendly way to mow the grass, Safia Ahmad reports.
It was a typical Wednesday afternoon in Montreal.
Movie trailers lined Molson St. bordering Parc du Pélican in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie.
On the opposite end of the park, teenagers sat on the bleachers, listening to music.
Oh — and a herd of 10 sheep moseyed down Laurier Ave. E. from Parc du Pélican to Parc Lafond.
Biquette à Montréal is a project that aims to educate people about urban agriculture, said Mathyas Lefebure, one of its organizers.
His partner, Marie-Ève JulienDenis, said that herbivores, like sheep, help maintain and trim the grass in urban spaces in an environmentally friendly way.
The sheep started out in Parc du Pélican on June 16.
On Wednesday, they hoofed it down to Parc Lafond, where they will stay until Aug. 10. They will travel once more on Aug. 11 to the green pastures of Parc Beaubien and stay there until Aug. 25, when they return to Ferme gastronomique Chez Anouk in the Laurentians.
Lefebure has 10 years of experience herding sheep in the south of France. It showed him how sheep and people can coexist in cities like Paris and Montpellier.
As an urban shepherd, he teaches people about the sheep and urban agriculture, while the animals graze and provide entertainment for the public, he said.
Lefebure said he and JulienDenis, who also has extensive herding experience, approached Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie two years ago because of their “avantgardiste” approach to urban culture and environmental issues. Borough spokesperson MarieClaude Perreault said the borough contributed $10,000 to the project, which fits well with its sustainable development initiatives.
Lefebure said they took the sheep, an Icelandic breed, to Parc du Pélican last summer to assess their reaction to a new environment. They adapted quickly, he said: “As long as there’s grass, they’re happy.”
Sheep follow a predictable schedule, Lefebure said, as they must spend eight hours grazing, eight hours ruminating and eight hours sleeping. During the day, a metal barricade will be set up at the park, allowing the sheep to forage until it’s time to sleep in a small barn.
Lefebure said the grass where the sheep will graze was allowed to grow longer than the rest of the park to accommodate the sheep for the next two weeks.
Lefebure and Julien-Denis are seasoned urban shepherds, but the job can be full of surprises, especially when 10 sheep — four of which are lambs — are being ushered down the narrow sidewalk of Laurier, leaving a trail of excrement behind them. That’s why they enlisted the help of 30 volunteers.
Alice Comtois-Hubert, one of their crew, said the job is less about dealing with sheep and more about educating residents and being active in the community.
Resident Jean-Philippe Genderon took his son to Parc Lafond to watch the sheep roam freely in the open space. He said he has visited the sheep three or four times at Parc du Pélican and is excited to see them move closer to his residence.
“It’s nice to have them graze the grass instead of having lawn mowers do it,” he said. “It’s great for the kids and for us, the adults, to have contact with the animals.”
The project includes weekly yoga sessions on Tuesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Julien-Denis said. And picnics are held every Sunday. You can find details about Biquette à Montréal on Facebook.