On Saturday August 20th we will continue our efforts to suppress Purple Loosestrife from the pond. Purple Loosestrife is a problem for the pond because it chokes out native plants like cattails. Cattails are needed by native species like ducks and muskrats, and they...
Pond & Park Ecology
Where did all the water go?
Well the pond's not quite as dry as the moon, but it is pretty dry! File this one under the category of "Mistakes Happen". The water department was testing the pump at the west end of the pond. They turned it to "on" as part of the test and and...
So Far So Good
The Conservancy is making a concerted effort to rid our pond of the invasive species Purple Loosestrife. Purple Loosestrife is a problem for the pond because it chokes out native animals like cattails. Cattails are needed by native species like ducks and muskrats, and...
Underwater
If you've tried to walk the South (New Scotland) side of the path recently, you'll have noticed that it's been underwater for much of the last few weeks. These pictures were taken on Thursday 6/16/2011. Even before the rain, we had talked with the...
Successful Spring Clean Up
Thanks so much to everyone for the great Spring clean up on Sunday 4/10. It was terrific to see so many folks out - more than 30 people were there to help. A special tip of the pruning shears to Fred Ruff who tackled the invasive Oriental Bittersweet that was...
Path Improvements
If you haven't walked around the pond recently be sure to check out the improvements to the path on the south (New Scotland) side. Over the summer the City of Albany reconfigured the pond path to be much less steep, reducing erosion problems and making the path easier...
Thank You for the Great Mulchathon 2010
Thanks to everyone for a terrific job at the clean up this past Sunday. Jack tells us the playground looks better than anytime in the 17 years he's been on the job. Special thanks to Jason Schultz of Brookside Nursery who led our nature walk. If you didn't get...
Changes coming to the Path
As a result of the Albany County Soil & Water District grant that BPC facilitated, DGS will be reconfiguring the steep section of the path near the foot of Lenox on the the New Scotland (south) side of the pond. We don't know yet when work will begin, but if you see...
Save the date for Sunday 5/16
The next pond cleanup day will be Sunday 5/16 1 to 3 pm, weather permitting. Please put it on your calendar now, and we'll let you know more as the date approaches. It should be a great day to get out and work together on our pond. If you are willing to post a few...
Pictures from November Clean Up
Here are a few "Pond Preservation Day" pictures from Sunday 11/1. About 20 neighborhood volunteers and a troop of Girl Scouts planted several daffodil and wildflower beds near the playground and removed most of the purple loosestrife (an aggressive invasive species)...