Thinking in terms of restoration agriculture: what large fauna are
native to the Eastern Great Lakes lowlands of NY, who are or have domestic relatives who are appropriate colleagues in agroecosystems? I extend that to fauna of Appalachia, as this region of NY is the northern range of many Appalachian species and I anticipate those ranges may creep northward (or at least I want to design for diversity around that possibility) if average temperatures rise here.
I'm interested in finding domestic analogs for naturally occurring animals. Turkeys are a great example.
Land in this region tends toward swamps, marshes, meadows, and mixed hardwood forests. Turkeys are a natural participant in those ecosystems, and they are also a potential colleague on farm.
Deer are a common large animal in these ecosystems but I have a harder time seeing a deer grazing operation as sensible, though admittedly I haven't done much research on that!
What other animals are or were once here, who are naturally inclined to enjoy life in harmony with meadows and mixed hardwoods, and who are potential colleagues in ecological farming enterprises? I'd like to find species I can work with so 1) fossil fuels are not needed for mowing or nutrient management, assisting with meadow stewardship while reforestation succeeds; and 2) basic needs are met in mutually beneficial ways for all creatures involved.
Turkeys, pheasants, ducks,
rabbits mainly come to mind. I intuitively think of sheep and
cattle for their pasture potential, but I'm not sure about their history here. Sheep seem fitting for similar ecotypes at least.
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