They’re some of Manhattan’s most popular seasonal workers, and they’re "baaack."

The Riverside Park Conservancy's goats will eat through weeds and invasive plants in hard-to-reach parts of the park this summer. Heather Stahl helps take care of them each year.

"What they do is they really can just chomp these plants right down to the root,” she said. “And it does it make more difficult for them to grow back."

Stahl started volunteering with the natural lawn mowers in 2022.

"Right in the middle of a big city, you have these, these farm animals, and it's just amazing to be able to interact with them,” she said. “And it's also, it's really cool to be able to give back to the park."

Animals have a special place in Stahl's heart. Her family has cared for all kinds of pets.

Stahl’s husband has a degree in zoology. Her daughter wants to become a veterinarian. And sometimes her family helps out with the goats.

"This is just a whole different thing for us that is combining a love for animals and just trying to give back a little bit to Riverside Park," she said.

Stahl tends to the goats at least once a week: checking their coats, giving them fresh water and herding them into their enclosure at the end of the day.

"We look them over and make sure everything's everything's good," she said.

The goats moved to a new spot in the park this summer that is closer to playgrounds and more prone to clutter. Stahl makes sure to keep the goats' new home clean for them.

"As the goats are eating, more trash gets unearthed,” she said. “So there's kind of more trash every day to pick up."

Stahl said she sees the similarities between the Riverside Park goats and her life at home.  

"These kids and my kids, they have a lot in common,” she said. “They don't like to listen. They're very independent-minded. They're kind of stubborn and they eat a lot. But at the end of the day, they do make it a better place, right?"

For hoofing it with the Riverside Park Conservancy goats, Heather Stahl is our New Yorker of the Week.