All of us are missing our wildlife this year, for Botany Pond is being renovated. We were told that the renovations would begin after convocation (that was a week ago), but we’ve had a week of good weather since then and nothing appears to have been done. The schedule calls for landscaping, fixing the cement walls, putting in a new pond bottom, adding upgraded drains and filters—all done by fall, with the Pond being refilled by October. Right now it’s just a shadow of its former self.
The gate to the pond was open this morning, so we strolled in and I took a few pictures (click them to enlarge):
From the north end. You can see all the duck circles as well as the barriers, which I didn’t know existed since the mud was so deep that I rarely ran into them. Note that both bald cypress trees were cut down and only the stumps are visible (their roots were going through the cement). The plants are growing wild, as is the Virginia creeper on Erman Hall to the left.
A view from the south looking north. I never knew those walls were there in the pond, though occasionally I’d bump my leg on something when I was saving ducklings. The bridge over the pond that leads to the channel is to the left. Notice the faux wolf at lower left, put there to scare off the ducks (there are two, but they didn’t work).
A panorama of the pond from the south:
And a faux wolf. They are smaller than they look from afar, and are also made out of plastic (for some reason I thought they’d be furry, but that would be dumb):
We are all suffering from duck and turtle withdrawal.
Insightful view!
I have never seen those wolf dummies – I mean, dumb-ees – work.
Maybe they are really coyote copies?
What happened to the turtles?
Apparently, they were captured and are being kept for, somewhere, until the pond is reanimated.
Sorry to learn of the demise of the cypresses. In looking up their native range, which actually goes up to the S end of IL, I also learned that the current oldest specimen is in NC and over 2600yrs old, after the demise of a 3500y/o specimen.
I too wish the cypresses could have stayed. With increased sunlight you might get more algae.
The grounds keepers will have a lot of work to do on the campus, and perhaps there are higher priorities.
Yes, what a terrible decision. Surely done by some bureaucrat who knows nothing about nature.
Yeah, they should have fixed the base somehow, not cut down those beautiful and useful trees. Blech! I hated that rash action…
I am so sorry this is going on. I do hope all the birds return. I also hate that the cypresses were chopped down. Chopping old growth trees seems to be endemic anymore.
I hope it takes less time than expected, but as we all know … it is far more likely it will take significantly longer.
Also noted in passing, one of the beloved features of the campus at Emory & Henry College in Emory VA (SW VA, just off I-81 NE of Abingdon), is the Duck Pond. But as you can see, is has none of the even semi-faux naturalistic features of Botany Pond.
A couple of giant rubber liners would hasten the renovation.
My wife’s alma mater is Whitman College, in Walla Walla, Washington. One of the notable features on its beautiful campus is Lakum Duckum*, a pond fed by a small stream that runs through the campus. The water is warm year-round due to geothermal activity, and apparently the resident ducks don’t bother to migrate in the winter.
https://www.whitman.edu/about/facilities/lakum-duckum
* Yes, that’s its official name.