This pond has an unexpected backstory. Wow!
View of Pond, Dam, Trail Leading to Pond, Pond Ecosystem Sign. Photos by Nature Photographer Pam Hirst at PKH Photography. Writing by Freelance Content Writer and Travel Blogger Meghan Hirst at Meghan Hirst, Writer.
The trail depicted here is where we saw the disturbing skunk cabbage :O We made a post about it on our Facebook page in March 2021. Check it out and let us know if you agree that it is disturbing!
Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve received an award from the Garden Clubs of America in 1950. The money from the award was used to construct the Founder's Pond. This pond went through a lot prior to 2021. It seems nature was testing the preserve workers' ability to adapt to environmental changes! The dam shown here stopped working correctly in 2010, so no new water was flowing into the pond. In 2011, the preserve got enough funds to restore the dam and the pond to their original states. A whopping $215,000! In a freak incident, the preserve was battered by both a hurricane and a tropical storm before the restoration process started. Consequently, there was major flooding and sediment in the pond. Since there was large-scale destruction, it unfortunately paved the way for other flooding disasters. It was clear that the pond would need to be rebuilt in another location. The huge project was completed carefully. Hundreds of native aquatic plants were transferred to the new pond :O The pond is currently transforming into a fully functioning water ecosystem again. This is beneficial for wildlife as well as visitors who want to observe and study this type of habitat.
We will be discussing the New Pond next!
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to temporarily or permanently adapt to environmental changes?
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