Along the Cumberland River just north of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, tourists on party pontoons drift past the recognizable skyline, but they’re greeted by an unexpected sight: hundreds of sheep nibbling on the grass along the riverbank.
Urban shepherd Zach Richardson manages this flock, and he says that sometimes the tourist boats will detour just to give passengers a closer look at the Nashville Chew Crew. Grazing a few hundred yards from bustling residential and commercial buildings, these sheep have become a charming spectacle for onlookers.
“There’s a unique joy people get from watching sheep graze,” Richardson said. “They enjoy it more than watching someone on a zero-turn mower or using a weed eater.”
Using sheep for prescribed grazing isn’t new, but more urban communities are adopting it to address land management issues like invasive species, wildfire risks, and preserving native habitats. Nashville’s parks department enlisted the Chew Crew in 2017 to help maintain Fort Negley, a Civil War-era Union fortification, where lawnmowers could easily damage the historic structures. Sheep now graze about 150 acres of city property annually, including the historic Nashville City Cemetery.
“It’s a more environmentally sustainable way to care for the greenspace and oftentimes cheaper than using handheld equipment and staff,” said Jim Hester, assistant director of Metro Nashville Parks.
The Chew Crew’s livestock guardian dogs, Anatolian shepherds, cohabit with the sheep to ward off intruders, both human and animal. The sheep themselves are hair sheep, a breed that naturally sheds its hair and is often used for meat.
Another invaluable canine member of the team is Duggie, a border collie. With just a few whistles and commands from Richardson, Duggie can manage the entire flock, whether they need to be moved, separated, or loaded onto a trailer.
Elsewhere, Santa Barbara, California, has relied on sheep for about seven years to manage land buffers that can slow or halt wildfires. “The community loves the grazers, and it’s a great way of community engagement,” said Monique O’Conner, an open space planner for the city’s parks and recreation. “It’s a new, shiny way of land management.”
According to Mark vonTillow of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department, grazed areas can significantly alter fire behavior. “If a fire is coming through a full brush field and hits a grazed area with broken vegetation, the fire behavior drops to the ground, giving firefighters a chance to attack the fire,” he explained.
Universities have also begun using herds of goats and sheep to manage vegetation. In 2010, the University of Georgia faced an invasive privet problem and opted to use goats instead of chemicals or mowers. The goats not only removed the plants but also became a popular, eco-friendly attraction on campus.
Zach Richardson, who was a UGA student at the time, was inspired to start his own goat grazing business, later transitioning to sheep when he moved to Nashville. “Sheep are more flock-oriented and less likely to wander than goats,” Richardson said. “I’ll never own another goat. They’re like little Houdinis.”
Not every urban site is ideal for grazing, according to O’Conner. “We want to educate the public on why we’re grazing where we’re grazing,” she noted. Jennif Chandler, who runs City Sheep and Goat in Georgia, has mostly residential and community projects like Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve under her care. Despite occasional issues like predator attacks, she finds that regularly moving the sheep reduces both boredom and risk.
Hundreds of sheep can also impact the environment by spreading seeds, which is why Santa Barbara conducts environmental surveys before deploying grazers, ensuring minimal disruption to bird habitats and nests.
Along the Cumberland River levee, the side maintained by mowers looks manicured like a golf course, while the side grazed by the Chew Crew blooms with diverse wildlife, including rabbits, butterflies, and nesting birds. “It’s way more diverse,” Richardson said. “Even though we’ve removed some vegetation, there’s still a habitat that supports wildlife.”
Richardson checks on his flock daily and often receives photos and videos from people, as his phone number is listed on the electric fence. “If the sheep can reconnect people to nature, even just for a moment, or spark a child’s imagination, that’s a good thing,” he said.
