Adopt-A-beach
November/December 2008 Newsletter
The North Pond Club consists of a group of families and their children using innovative ways to explore and learn about the ecosystem of North Pond. North Pond is in Chicago, Illinois.
What is going on at the pond? What have we learned? What are we thinking? This is a section where we ask the children to investigate and report back their thoughts to the rest of the NPC Community. Articles will change as new articles are submitted.
Breaking News – South Pond’s Natural Makeover
Lincoln Park Zoo has announced that they plan to drain the nearby South Pond and give it a natural makeover to bring out Chicago’s potential for a diverse ecosystem in the heart of the city. “It’s not just about making the pond pretty” says Neal David, Vice President of Lincoln Park Zoo. “It coincides with the mission of the zoo”.
David tells us that Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure is the main engineer and that Studio Gang is the architectural design component. The plan, he says, is to keep the basic outline of the pond pretty much where it is now. A boardwalk will go around the pond, replacing the current crumbling asphalt paths. “The boardwalk is of those [places to interact]” says David. The boardwalk’s pattern, he tells us, is taken from a natural look: a turtle shell! There will also be a thirty-foot-wide filter of native wetland plants to cleanse the pond water.
Civil design is also a major part of the project, in ways natural and non-natural. “Civil design also includes artificial means,” the vice president tells us. “The current bubblers [in the pond] will be enhanced and expanded.”
The zoo also plans for a miniature wind turbine. “We don’t have enough area for a wind farm to light the city, but we do to demonstrate one,” says David.
Birdwatchers may be surprised to know that the black-crowned night heron is an endangered species! “This is a species for the public to enjoy,” says Dominick Travis, Head of Conservation & Science at the zoo. He says no birds will be taken out during the renovation of the pond. As for turtles: “We will be transferring turtles to other locations,” says Travis, but some turtles will remain. “[As far as we know] there are no amphibians, but we do want amphibians,” Travis tells us.
Then there are the fish. Travis believes in a risk assessment to this. “The theme here is naturalness. The fish cannot be moved, [so we] are euthanizing fish in the pond.”
“The new design offers so many new opportunities and vantage points,” says Rachel Bergren, vice president of the zoo’s education department. Rachel talks about two themes when it comes to education: the history and recreational values of the pond, and talking about and touching on man’s relationship with nature.
Q: How can homeschooling families get involved with this project?
Bergren: We don’t currently have a lot of programs, but we want to explore. There are a lot of opportunities for this in the area of monitoring the pond.
Q: When will the pond be finished?
Bergren: You’ll be able to see it in Fall 2009, but there will be a grand opening in the Spring of 2010.
Q: Will the materials used in the boardwalk leech into the pond?
David: The boardwalk is made from recycled natural materials that will not leech.
Q: Will there be trails specifically for biking around the pond?
David: No, but you’ll be able to ride your bike on the boardwalk, whether that’s a good thing or not.
Be sure to keep posted on this exciting new development!
Matthew Schumm
Lincoln Park Zoo has announced that they plan to drain the nearby South Pond and give it a natural makeover to bring out Chicago’s potential for a diverse ecosystem in the heart of the city. “It’s not just about making the pond pretty” says Neal David, Vice President of Lincoln Park Zoo. “It coincides with the mission of the zoo”.
David tells us that Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure is the main engineer and that Studio Gang is the architectural design component. The plan, he says, is to keep the basic outline of the pond pretty much where it is now. A boardwalk will go around the pond, replacing the current crumbling asphalt paths. “The boardwalk is of those [places to interact]” says David. The boardwalk’s pattern, he tells us, is taken from a natural look: a turtle shell! There will also be a thirty-foot-wide filter of native wetland plants to cleanse the pond water.
Civil design is also a major part of the project, in ways natural and non-natural. “Civil design also includes artificial means,” the vice president tells us. “The current bubblers [in the pond] will be enhanced and expanded.”
The zoo also plans for a miniature wind turbine. “We don’t have enough area for a wind farm to light the city, but we do to demonstrate one,” says David.
Birdwatchers may be surprised to know that the black-crowned night heron is an endangered species! “This is a species for the public to enjoy,” says Dominick Travis, Head of Conservation & Science at the zoo. He says no birds will be taken out during the renovation of the pond. As for turtles: “We will be transferring turtles to other locations,” says Travis, but some turtles will remain. “[As far as we know] there are no amphibians, but we do want amphibians,” Travis tells us.
Then there are the fish. Travis believes in a risk assessment to this. “The theme here is naturalness. The fish cannot be moved, [so we] are euthanizing fish in the pond.”
“The new design offers so many new opportunities and vantage points,” says Rachel Bergren, vice president of the zoo’s education department. Rachel talks about two themes when it comes to education: the history and recreational values of the pond, and talking about and touching on man’s relationship with nature.
Q: How can homeschooling families get involved with this project?
Bergren: We don’t currently have a lot of programs, but we want to explore. There are a lot of opportunities for this in the area of monitoring the pond.
Q: When will the pond be finished?
Bergren: You’ll be able to see it in Fall 2009, but there will be a grand opening in the Spring of 2010.
Q: Will the materials used in the boardwalk leech into the pond?
David: The boardwalk is made from recycled natural materials that will not leech.
Q: Will there be trails specifically for biking around the pond?
David: No, but you’ll be able to ride your bike on the boardwalk, whether that’s a good thing or not.
Be sure to keep posted on this exciting new development!
Matthew Schumm
| First Mass Transit for a Week/Month/Day beginning on November 14 2008 See our "Mass Transit for a Month" page to sign up! |
Send questions via email to beth@tecalliance.org
Photo of the Month
Swimming Lessons
Emma Vawter
(This photo was taken last year. Please send us a photo you have taken of Fall at North Pond via email to beth@tecalliance.org)
Emma Vawter
(This photo was taken last year. Please send us a photo you have taken of Fall at North Pond via email to beth@tecalliance.org)
One of the constant features we are considering is the "Photo of the Month". This is a place where a child and/or their parent can post a favorite photo taken around the North Pond. If possible, a sentence or two would be written to describe the photo and to indicate the name of the photographer.
