Housekeeping at CNUW's Pond and Greenhouse

Tour season is nearly upon us, so this past Wednesday, October 14th, CNUW students and staff waded out into the pond for some cleaning.

From left to right: Kellie Elliott, Education Coordinator Jean Rigden, and Terri Belisle get down and dirty removing water lilies.

In the desert, any constant source of water is an oasis, and the pond at Scottsdale Community College is a perfect example. In addition to hosting many native and migratory species, our pond is home to three endangered species: the Huachuca Water Umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana spp. recurva), the Quitobaquito Pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius eremus), and the Gila Topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis). Much of the effort made to clean up the pond was done with preserving these species in mind.

CNUW Director Roy Barnes helps Jean pull up more water lilies.

Our pond is also a very important stop on CNUW's biodiversity education tours. It allows visiting students to observe an example of a riparian ecosystem, a type of habitat that is rapidly disappearing in Arizona.

Kellie removes a thick mess of water lilies, making room in the pond for other plants.

The amount of plant material students removed from the pond was truly impressive. Even CNUW students were impressed by how productive the little pond was. Student Terri Belisle commented how glad she was that, by cleaning up the pond, "students coming by could see more than just lily pads, and could see what's actually living in there." By the next morning, the pond water was already clearer.

The first of several piles of organic debris and detritus CNUW students and staff pulled from the depths of the pond.

While the pond cleanup was underway, other students were hard at work preparing the greenhouse for upcoming elementary school visitors. The CNUW greenhouse is home to several of our largest Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii), and has served in the past as a nursery for Lowland Leopard Frogs (Rana yavapaiensis).

Lori Sharpy puts her back into trash removal.

Chris Trimble clears away fallen evergreen needles.

Hard work pays off, and for CNUW, the tireless efforts of these students have contributed to making the Scottsdale Community College campus a better place for wildlife to live and for students to observe and enjoy nature.

Emma