By Krissa Klein:
Sonoma State University has two ponds on the north side of campus, not far from Copeland Creek. These ponds were originally meant for fire suppression, and are thus in ecologically poor shape. The water is an unappealing brownish color, with scum and litter floating on the surface. The pond margins are edged in concrete, preventing natural waterside plant growth, and surrounded by sterile lawns.
Over the years, various chemical treatments have been applied to the water (for a while, they were even dyed blue once a year for graduation ceremony, in the apparent hope that the dye could conceal the unpleasant character of the water). The remnants of these treatments, combined with runoff and garbage, has sunk into the bottom of the lake, resulting in them slowly becoming filled in with sludge.
On our trip to the ponds, we could see that the water visibility was only a few inches, and the aerators, meant to oxygenate the water, were clogged to the point of only producing a weak stream of bubbles.
Despite this, the ponds still host a surprising amount of bird life. We saw a large flock of Canada Geese, and there is a resident population of mallard ducks. There appears to be fish life of some kind within the water, though it wasn’t possible to see exactly what species were present, due to the poor water clarity. However, a kingfisher was hanging out in a nearby tree, so clearly it was finding fish to eat.
The turtles seem to be doing just fine in the ponds, judging by the number sunning themselves on the concrete edges. Most of them were invasive red-eared sliders, but we were pleasantly surprised to notice quite a few western pond turtles as well.
The main feeling I took away from our pond outing was a sense of wasted opportunity. The ponds could be a centerpiece of ecological diversity in an urban environment, if only a little care and money were spent remediating them. Let us hope this eventually comes to pass!
0 Comments