ExplorA-Pond Home | Pond Talk | Email Us

Post your Comment

Cory , Student from Hurricane Apr 23 2007 9:58 PM

You need to put more information about all fresh water bioimes instead of just ponds.

carmen , Student from morenci high school Apr 10 2007 3:19 PM

i would like to visit any kind of pond

teacher , Teacher from Butler Elementary Feb 22 2007 2:54 PM

we are trying to find out what special adaptations aquatic plants have that make them different from land plants

silvia , Visitor Dec 20 2006 9:26 AM

i love learning about biology and the ponds work and the animals and plants survive i also love how mother nature has taken courses to creat such clean and clear waters for these amazing creatures to make such graceful and loving families in them i hope to work with pond some day!the biggest pond fan that you'll ever meet:silvea

Emma Watson , Visitor Dec 7 2006 1:31 PM

put more information on this website

brianna , Visitor from caver middle school FL Dec 7 2006 12:12 PM

thank u

bella , Visitor from Garwood Dec 5 2006 12:11 PM

Now I realy enjoy ponds! Before I read this web site I din't notice how a pond realy is.So thanks a lot about giving me info about ponds!

TORI , Student from GARWOOD Dec 5 2006 12:01 PM

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW IN PONDS?

victoria , Student from Garwood Nov 28 2006 12:20 PM

I REALY LIKE PONDS I ENJOY THEM A LOT! I have one my self in my back yard. One thing I love to do in my pond is go swiming . love tori

Brandon , Teacher Oct 12 2006 10:22 AM

Marshall - I think you will enjoy the link to pond experts (). They seem to spend most of their time consulting on ponds and such. Even if you just read some of their web page material, you can pick up some pretty good hints. Another option would be to view the adopted ponds and then communicate with the pond builder who appears to have a similar situation to yours. Click on the Adopt a Pond link and then View the Adopted ponds. Hope this helps.

Marshall , Visitor Oct 3 2006 6:09 AM

I am looking for a guide book or video on fishing pond.Well we are new at this so I need all the you can offer me. This will be a 1/2 aces lot pond water will come from a under ground well type of dirt is red clay.type floating pond pump etc.type fish hybrid bream and hybrid bass.

Steve , Visitor Sep 6 2006 7:54 AM

I am so sad that Steve Irwin can no longer visit ponds. He was a great Aussie.

Jusin , Visitor Apr 13 2006 1:47 PM

i love your website

Julie , Student Mar 30 2006 9:20 AM

I love Ponds there so cool. How long does it take to form one one? 5 Years

Brandon , Teacher Mar 17 2006 1:53 PM

Nikki - There seem to be several Giles counties in the US. That means I don't know the best answer to your question. However, if you visit Surf Your Watershed and enter your zip code or county and state you can see the rivers, lakes, and ponds in your area. Hope this helps.

judith , Student from mercedes jr high school Mar 1 2006 1:40 PM

all of my class has been studing about ecosystems

nikki , Student from Giles high school Feb 27 2006 12:50 PM

where can i find a pond in Giles County?

humberto , Student from agape cristian academy Nov 19 2005 8:33 PM

ponds for me thair super cus they have wild animals an my favroite the crocudile.

Jonathan , Visitor Oct 27 2005 7:52 AM

Hiya. My name is Jonathan Horner and I am considering to build and electronic device for ponds which will automatically deter herons from feeding on any fish in the pond. Do you reckon there will be many people who would want such a device? And would there be any additional features that could be implemented on to it that people would need? For instance, a counter that will count the number of times it scares off the heron to determine how serious the problem is for you pond. If any of you have any opinions or advise for me could you email them to me please. Thanks your help will be greatly appreciated! :-)

Laurie , Visitor Aug 20 2005 10:50 AM

I have turned my in-ground swimming pool into a pond, trying to mimic a natural pond as much as possible, doing little to manage it. It looked very healthy until late summer when the water became very cloudy and scum started floating on the surface. I do not have a circulation system (neither do natural ponds) but I add water by hose from a well. My pond has minnows (thousands), koi, a bullfrog who found us, dragon and damselflies, lots of water bugs including, earlier in the year, millions of crustaceans in the form of water fleas! Very cool! I also have water lilies and a few other water plants. I don't care if the water is cloudy as long as that doesn't imply deteriorating health. If it's just a normal stage this time of year, I'm good with that. By the way, a landscaper/pond-builder looked at my pond and thought it was disgusting. He said it needed an entire (expensive) filtration system. But natural ponds don't have that, do they? Right now, I don't have to feed my fish because there is so much natural food in there. if I purified the water, wouldn't that eliminate the food sources for the fish? Any feedback, opinions would be most helpful.

Brandon , Teacher Jul 21 2005 12:37 PM

Wings - You wondered why your small frogs are not surviving once they leave the pond. I pondered on the following questions: 1) Are there predators around that will be eating them? 2)What kind of cover is available for the air breathing frog to escape from the heat of the day or sight of a predator? 3) Amphibians have soft skins so the materials surrounding your pond will find their way into the Frogs system. Are there any toxic ground covers near the pond? Perhaps you can let us know when you determine what is killing the frogs and then it will be much easier to design a solution.

wings , Visitor Jul 14 2005 4:29 PM

we recently built a pond in our garden and got some tadpoles from a friend who has a pond , but all our froglettes r dying when they leave the pond , can you tell me why this is

Nicole , Student May 30 2005 2:39 PM

I did the virtul pond and came out with these results Algae 19800, Larvae 9552, Minnows 2667, Blue Gill 44, Bass 366.

Garry , Visitor from Templeogue College in the 60s May 7 2005 8:07 AM

I have a small pond in my back garden in Dublin , Ireland , where the weather is quite mild , even in winter . I am amazed at the amount of life , particularly insects . I also have 130 goldfish , which 5 years ago were only five , so they are a few generations so far . There is only one left of that generation . He is white because they go grey when they get old ,like me !. But one thing I want to tell you , is that ponds need a lot of maintenance , so think of that before you decide to build one in your back garden , and also - no kids - they are dangerous .Good site Garry Murphy

Brandon , Teacher Apr 27 2005 10:26 AM

Jared - Your request for more details on plants and animals found in a pond is understandable. This site is designed as an exploration of the pond. Under our Pond Action links (a href="http://www.uen.org/utahlink/pond/action.html"> pond action ) you'll find great information from the University of Florida on wetland plants under the Backyard Plant Photos link. As to pond animal life, consider visiting the links to Life on the Water's Edge or Layers of Pond Life. Microscopic life can also be studied using the Microscopic Gallery or the MicScape links found on the Pond Action page. Hope this helps and thanks for the thoughtful comment.

Jerad , Visitor from Cincinnati State Apr 18 2005 10:27 PM

Hi, I would like to know about each species of fish, plants, microrganisms etc. and their effects on pond life. Jerad Wachtmann

glOria , Student Mar 27 2005 3:51 PM

I think the sight is interesting, but i'd like a more thorough explanation of the ecological side of the pond and how it interacts with other ecosystems

Kayla , Student Feb 24 2005 2:06 PM

You site really help me find good pond games, that i am going to use in class, because my group is working on pond biomes.

Brandon , Teacher Jan 24 2005 4:27 PM

Laura - Check out some of the Pond Action links for Pond Science. There you will find a link to the Pond Inhabitants or Pond Ecosystems .

Michael , Visitor Oct 8 2004 8:24 AM

Hi, I am currently starting a project for my Degree in Computer science titled 'A Pond Beastie Measurement Tool'. For this project I will be producing an application that can be used to analyse river/pond samples and determine the total quantity of different beasties or animals. This will be done by taking a picture of the pond area and using the application to count the animals. Has anyone heard of this type of Application? Can you tell me where I could view an example of it? Can you tell me where I could find information on the different types of animals/beasties type can be found in a pond area? Thanks

Brandon , Visitor Jul 27 2004 12:13 PM

The "Aquatic Experts" have a rating scale they use to determine if a pond is a lake or not. You may want to visit their site at Aquatic Experts .

KEVIN , Visitor Jul 16 2004 3:35 PM

I AM LOOKING FOR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POND AND A LAKE, WHAT QUALIFIES AS A POND AND WHAT QUALIFIES AS A LAKE? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE K.D.

Lottie , Student Jun 9 2004 3:25 AM

Hi, I was made to look at this site in my science lesson but it's actually ok, i was a bit confused when I had populated my pond, I think as well as giving a table of results I think you should also give a comment, e.g you have done well to keep your pond life increasing or whatever! But otherwise it was pretty good!

rachael , Visitor from rapid ray May 18 2004 7:54 AM

I like pons but I would never live by one because of the larvay

Gary , Student May 18 2004 7:53 AM

your site is sweey it would be beter if we could see the pond that we bouild though

Jen H , Student from Millcreek Jr. High May 17 2004 6:46 PM

I think that it is way cool that we have this site to help everyone learn about ponds and fish and other stuff like that! this site is WAY awesome to go to and my friends told me about it and i think that it is way cool for kids like us to learn about a topic like this. but we also need other topics but otherwise, this site is a great one!!!!!!!!!!

Brandon , Teacher May 13 2004 11:08 AM

Jim - Research on floating duck nests can be found at The Berryman Institute . You may be the first to try the floating nest idea out on coyotes. My first step would be to contact your local Agriculture Extension Office and see if they don't have a great contact to help you out. Best of luck.

MJ-Springville, UTAH , Visitor May 6 2004 10:19 AM

A very helpful site for ponders...Water Gardening Magazine's forum site. Very active site and lots of "ponders" from everywhere willing to help from building a pond to identifying fish and plants. VERY invaluable site.....bookmark this! http://www.awgs.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Cloe , Student May 4 2004 6:05 PM

I enjoyed looking at your site. I love ponds and I could spend more than a lifetime just on your site. ( I'm sure that my eyes would get tired, though.) Great site! I advise anyone who loves animals, water, great sites, and more, to come to this site for some information and fun. Great chatting with you! Bye! Talk to you later!

Samantha , Student from St.Richard May 3 2004 9:54 AM

this month my class is learning about Wetlands in grade 5. i think that where bugs are it sometimes is gross and sometimes it's cool ,most people i know they don't like bugs. Did you know that the most dangerous bug in the wetlands is the Dragon Fly. One of the most coolest bugs i have ever seen is Scorpins.

Be Be , Visitor from Torrey Hill May 1 2004 10:23 AM

this is a very interesting site but needs more facts!

Jim , Visitor May 1 2004 7:35 AM

I am looking for a set of plans to build a floating house for ducks. My wife loves ducks but the cayotes can get them so I want to build a floating house for them. Any idea of where to find plans is appreciated. Thanks

kylie , Student from morningside Apr 13 2004 8:01 PM

my teacher love ponds!But most of all,FROGS!!!!

Mira , Student Mar 26 2004 7:13 AM

This site is good!

beth , Student from FIS Mar 9 2004 8:37 AM

Ilove Ponds!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There Sooooooooooooo AWSWOME*************GREAT

Katie , Student Mar 9 2004 8:37 AM

Ponds are awesome!!! I have tadpoles (also called pollywogs) in my pond at home!! I also catch catfish in my pond,and bass.

matthew , Student Feb 23 2004 3:16 PM

i like all sorts of frogs

Brandon , Teacher Feb 2 2004 4:29 PM

T- First obstacle is to find a water source. If you can keep the fish alive for an entire season, you can find grants which help restore native species through your state Wildlife folks. Second obstacle is to design the pond so it has food and cover for the fish check out The Pond Lady for helpful tips. Hope this helps.

Brandon , Teacher Feb 2 2004 4:05 PM

Ben - Here is a link to a typical pond food chain from Texas. As for native species you must be the judge. You may want to contact your local agriculture extension folks at the local college, they will know more about natives that I might. A lower level site about Pond Life or Pond Critters may be of some help.

Ben , Student from Mount Bachelor Jan 28 2004 11:02 AM

I am looking up freshwater pond organisms for a teacher of mine. I need to know the flora and fauna that create the ecosystem. I live in the Ochoco National forest in Oregon and I would would like the organisms to be native. I need this info asap. Any help would be much appreciated.

T , Visitor Jan 19 2004 7:45 PM

I have some land with a pond on it. It drys up about twice a year. I would like to put some time into it and make it nice, so I can raise fish and so wildlife will drink from it. Any info on the cheapest way to do this would be appreciative. Thanks in advance.

Brandon , Teacher Nov 13 2003 9:54 AM

Ximrna - If you visit our home page and click on the Pond Action link and then click on Pond Science you'll see numerous helpful links. As an example consider The Pond Lady . Hope this helps.

Brandon , Teacher Nov 11 2003 10:18 AM

Alane - Many misconceptions center on a pond vs a lake. There is a great link under Pond Action - Science that helps out here: Aquatic Experts: Lakes and Ponds . You might also enjoy watching children try to stock the virtual pond off the main page. Even adults have misconceptions about what is needed for a healthy pond.

Ximrna , Student Sep 29 2003 9:57 AM

I need to know this: 1.The populations of organisms in the pond 2. The producers, consumers and decomposrs in the pond 3.The food webs for the pond 4.The natural communities in the pond 5.The needs of the living things in the pond 6.Scientific vocabulary 7.The economic, environmental and social factors to be considered in the management of the pond habitat It is really urgent please!!!!!!!

Sherry , Teacher from Keith Jr. High School Sep 19 2003 4:58 PM

My emails have been returned. I was checking to see if my pond has been accepted for Adopt A Pond

Alane , Teacher Sep 14 2003 3:31 PM

I am about to start a pond unit. What are some common misconceptions children hold about ponds?

Brandon , Teacher Jun 23 2003 12:16 PM

Emily - Hmmm... slugs with six legs. Sounds like you need a Water Bug Detective . Note: the water bugs shown are from Australia, but you can compare your "slugs" to these and perhaps refine your question. Did the bug squeel when you picked it up, or just when you poked it?

Brandon , Teacher Jun 23 2003 9:53 AM

Natasha - For the Life Cycle of a Leech or a Diagram of the lifecycle of a leech just click on the respective link. If this is too simple you could visit Leeches of Australia .

emily , Visitor from usaa Jun 17 2003 12:07 AM

I have slugs with 6 legs in the front portion of their bodies that live in my swimming pool. They are about 3 1/2 inches long with pinchers in the front. I took one out of the water and poked at it and then it squeeled. What do you think they are?

natasha , Student from grange Jun 9 2003 8:02 PM

well this is a qustion but can you tell me the life cycle of a leech?

Brandon , Teacher Jun 3 2003 8:10 AM

Keladry- The folks at Stevens University seem to feel that it represents a "fair" water quality. Their page is at Water Quality Indicators . You may also wish to visit http://kywater.org/ww/bugs/intermed.htm Kywater lists bug indicators for various water qualities, but I don't know what their expertise level is. Check it out. Good luck!

Brandon , Teacher Jun 3 2003 8:02 AM

Judy - A great web site for distinguishing between lakes and ponds is Aquatic Experts . As to pools, I believe that pools form in moving rivers and streams while ponds are empounded by their banks. A pool, in the sense of a large puddle, is temporary while ponds last year round (except during drought years). Hope this helps you.

Trevor.b , Student from pincrest public shcool May 30 2003 11:50 AM

Your web page impresses me beacuse i like the wildlife. and i like ponds.

Judy , Visitor May 27 2003 11:03 PM

What is the difference between a pool and a pond?

Brandon , Teacher May 13 2003 10:48 AM

Aaron - You might want to visit Pond Animals for a good web site. Hope this helps.

Brandon , Teacher May 1 2003 4:30 PM

Aaron - I'd suggest you check out pond microbes as well as Pond out to sea . Hope this helps.

keladry , Student May 1 2003 9:01 AM

whatr is the pollution tollerance of the whirligig beetle? very important!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

aaron , Visitor Apr 21 2003 4:24 PM

I need to find info. on pond observations and what kind of plants and animals live in and around ponds. any suggestions?

Janet , Student Apr 11 2003 9:38 AM

I like ponds when there clean. They have fish and I like fish

Chris , Visitor Mar 23 2003 5:54 AM

I have a garden pond, established 8 years, no fish, but plenty of frogs. I have found these 5cm long worm like creatures in there, very thin and round. Does anyone know what they are???

Brandon , Teacher Feb 12 2003 12:42 PM

Tiffany - Here is a fun site from the Wired School that has three presentations on Pond Life Pond Life Slideshows .

Brandon , Teacher Feb 12 2003 12:39 PM

Kelsie - The Toronto Zoo has the following suggestions for making an area Frog Friendly .

Kelsey , Student from Woodbury Feb 11 2003 1:49 PM

I really love frogs.I would like to know how to take care of wild frogs.

tiffany , Student Feb 6 2003 9:01 PM

do u know where can i get some good infomation about ponds for my project??

malcolm , Student from lgms Jan 17 2003 11:22 AM

i think that ponds are cool and that we should take care of ponds

Brandon , Teacher Dec 6 2002 6:02 PM

Brad - Thanks for the great link to the aquatic habitat web site. I've added it to the Water links under Pond Action. Thanks for sharing.

brad , Visitor Nov 26 2002 5:16 AM

Hi, We noticed a lot of traffic to our site relating to the difference between ponds and lakes so we developed an educational page that you may be interested in listing: http://www.aquahabitat.com/ponds.lakes.ed.html Brad Kerr Senior Fishery Biologist Spring Creek Aquatic Concepts www.aquahabitat.com

Helen , Teacher from AccessEd, Education Queensland Nov 20 2002 8:54 PM

The link from 'Bordent's animals' goes to this casino site: http://www.bordenteacherzone.com/series/frame/frame.htm Helen Purdie

maria madriz , Student from naples elementery Oct 23 2002 11:46 AM

I am studing alot.Gee it is cool!!!!

Brandon , Teacher Sep 3 2002 10:12 AM

Todd - Ohio State suggests the following as you stock your pond: Stocking the Pond

DEE , Visitor Aug 24 2002 5:57 AM

IJUSTHAD A 10FT POND DUGGED BUT IT KEEP DRAINING THE WATER, ANY SUGESTION ON HOW TO STOP THE LEAK.

Todd , Visitor Aug 8 2002 8:24 PM

Someone please help me find info on how to stock a pond with fish, plants etc. I'm clueless but do know how important it is to do it right. I have an 8' deep pond that is approx. 100' around. It was dug in Oct. of 2001 and has frogs in it and is half full of muddy water.

Brandon , Teacher May 21 2002 12:45 PM

Dude- Try A href="http://www.pondlady.com/building.html"> http://www.pondlady.com/building.html for some good maintenance tips.

Brandon , Teacher May 21 2002 12:44 PM

Sarah and Brittany - Found a step by step with pictures at http://www.pondlady.com/builda.html . Try it!

Brandon , Teacher May 21 2002 12:36 PM

Concerning animals in a forest: Try Nasa's biomes or A list of animals .

Brandon , Teacher May 21 2002 12:34 PM

Patience - Some great recreation images from idaho are online at VisitId.org . You can check out river trips or whatever. Good luck.

brandon , Teacher May 21 2002 12:32 PM

Sarah and Brittany - Check out the collaborative section under Pond Action and use the link titled pond management. Ohio State University has some good suggestions on starting a pond.

tia hoops , Student from Whitney May 13 2002 9:41 AM

what kind of animals are in the conefierious forests

PATIENCE , Student from MEADOWBROOK May 6 2002 1:04 PM

I'M DOING A STATE REPORT ON IDAHO AND I NEED PICTURES ON SOME OF THESE NATIONAL NATURAL RESORSOCES IDAHO FALLS,THE SAW TOOTH MOUNTIANS,SHOESHONE FALLS,AND BOATING ON THE RIVER ON HELLS CANYON JUST GET BACK TO ME A.S.A.P

travis , Visitor from whint May 6 2002 9:56 AM

pond talk is cool

Dude , Student from CTL May 5 2002 3:35 PM

I have a question: I'm doing a essay, where can I find facts on pond maintnance?

Sarah and Brittany , Student May 3 2002 11:26 AM

me and my friend want to learn how to make a backyard pond.could you tell us how,please?

Brandon , Teacher May 1 2002 11:35 AM

Neil - Ohio State has the following suggestions: Muddy Water

Brandon , Teacher May 1 2002 11:32 AM

Robert - Florida Pond Plants is a good reference for some of the plants found in Florida. I know Texas is not Florida, but it may share some similarities. You may also want to try Texas Plants and Flowers or Texas Grasses . Hope this helps.

Robert , Visitor Apr 30 2002 4:18 AM

i am trying to help my daughter identify plants around a pond in central Texas. Does anyone know of a good web site?

Brandon , Teacher Apr 2 2002 10:14 AM

On April 1, 2002 (and this not a fool's joke) I observed two ducks, male and female mallard, at the outdoor pond. Also a woodpecker visited the area.

neil , Visitor Mar 29 2002 6:39 AM

i just got my pond done to make my house pad,i heard that when using a chemical called alemm it will make it clear from mud. what do you recomend for the water to be clear.please email me back

jessica , Student from laguna beach high school Mar 7 2002 9:54 AM

hi im doing a report on the lakes and ponds biome and i need information on populations of a biome, role and niche, and anything else you can tell me

Andrew , Teacher from Rose HIll Primary School Feb 19 2002 7:34 AM

hi may name is andrew and i live in england i was just surching on the web for ponds and found this wonderful website just so you know english ponds are verry different they have a lot less tropical wild life just the usal frogs and pond skaters. some one please submit a coment about your countrys pond.

ANDREW , Visitor from ROSE HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL Feb 6 2002 6:11 AM

hi i wanted to tell you that you can get good infomation on ponds by going on www.ask.co.uk and surch for ponds that is how i got here

Andrew Sigley , Visitor from Rose Hill Feb 5 2002 3:36 AM

The website is great could any one submit a coment excplaning looking after ponds in winte

Andrew , Student from Rose Hill Primary School Feb 1 2002 8:01 AM

i love your website it is groovey

Andrew , Student from Rose Hill Primary School Jan 31 2002 7:23 AM

you can make a better pond whith more plants but do not over grow it

Jason , Student from Buchanan High Nov 15 2001 4:49 PM

Hi my name is Jason and im a student at Buchanan High. I did a science fair project about pond life. I found that just about evey single thing in ponds are attracted to light, but i dont really know why. I anyone could help me that would be great. My e-mail is flashx55@hotmail.com Thank you! Great site!

Lisa , Teacher from Horizons Nov 10 2001 8:44 PM

We used "Explore: Kindergarten Seasonal Change" for one of our pond activities. It was interesting in that the weather was sort of unsettled that day. It was hard to decide of we would dress the paper person in long pants or short, or if it needed a jacket or not! We just let it stay in p.js. and slippers! At least the next day it was raining and that was an easy dressing job. We are fixing tiny paperclip hangers for the clothes and making tiny closets too! ExplorA-Pond has been a lot of fun for us. It is so exciting to see "our" pond on-line! Thank you.

Brandon , Teacher from Educational TECHnology Center Nov 1 2001 8:13 AM

Jack - Depends on the food chain in place. Both the trout and the bass compete for small fish. Bass love crayfish and may focus 2/3rds of their diet on crayfish. If the Bass reproduce then sooner or later they start to impact the trout's food supply. According to Paul Stapp "In some instances, lake ecology is so structured that trout and bass don't compete for the same food fish. But where there is competition, nonnative invasive predators make native predators suffer. " In our virutal pond simulation here on the web site we factor the presence of Bass into the future growth of the trout population. That doesn't mean that one bass and one trout will eat one another, but in a dynamic system they do impact each other's growth potential.

kyle , Student Nov 1 2001 7:46 AM

gee arent ponds cool

jack , Visitor Oct 30 2001 9:34 AM

would a trout live with large mouth Bass and survive.

Jenn , Student Oct 18 2001 8:04 PM

I was looking through this site because i'm looking to find out how to build a small pond that i can use for a learning center. if anyone has any ideas of building a small, simple pond, please email me

Meaghan , Student from mimorial middle school Sep 28 2001 11:54 AM

I thank that his web sie is the greaest site for school progects.

Brandon , Teacher Sep 19 2001 2:29 PM

Sam - Hope you got my e-mail. A good place to start is at Pond Tips .

Sam Ngu , Student from Sam Ngu May 21 2001 8:30 AM

Hey can someone help me with my school project? I need to know what insects and other outside of the pond animals are needed for a pond. I need to know what a pond needs and doesnt need. Email me at ridekid151@yahoo.com

Eric , Student from PineGrone May 8 2001 11:34 AM

Hi My name is Eric.You have a great web site

Andrew , Student from Meadowbrook Apr 23 2001 12:03 PM

Mrs. Frazier's 2nd grade class went to the pond on earth day and cleaned the area.We found lots of twigs that needed to be gathered. We are going to work on our butterfly garden this week. We are anxious to prepare the garden for the butterflies this summer and fall.

Vivian Crowe , Teacher from Lake Gregory Elementary Apr 10 2001 8:21 PM

Our 'Explor-A-Pond' project is unbelievably exciting. As I mentioned earlier, I have assigned a different species to each of my students. Last Monday they handed in their species reports. What a fantastic job they did! I'm anxious for them to have their work published on this web site. On Friday we hiked around our lake. Every few minutes I would hear a student exclaim that they spotted their species (Mallard Duck, Alder, stinging nettle, etc.) We would all stop while the student taught us about their species. Now I'm looking forward to our local 'Orange Show' where we will enter the student's posters and reports in the educational fair. Thanks again for triggering all of our enthusiasm. Sincerely, Mrs. Crowe

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem Apr 9 2001 7:30 PM

Our pond has snow on it today. The signs of Spring were hidden by a big blanket of snow on Sunday April 8, 2001. We are anxious to explore the creek and pond to observe the affects of this late snow fall on the plants and animal life around the area.

Vivian , Teacher from Lake Gregory Elementary Mar 3 2001 8:36 AM

Dear Dr. Thacker, I can't thank you enough. Last week I gave my first lesson on 'Explor-A-Pond' and we viewed many of the 'ponds' from around the world. When I brought up the picture of our Lake Gregory the class got so excited!!! I wish you could see the glow in their faces. Yesterday, the local ranger from our lake came in and gave us a detailed listing of the lifeforms surrounding our lake. Now I will assign one to each of my 90 students and they will be responsible for writing a research report on their species. They have even created group maps of the lake where they will eventually locate their species. This is one of the most exciting and engaging activities we have ever done. I'll try and capture a few pics of the students at work so you can see their enthusiasm. You have truly contributed to the education of many students (as well as myself) and I deeply thank you. They are so proud of the work that they are doing. Mrs. Crowe (4th grade teacher, Lake Gregory Elementary)

Bob , Visitor Feb 22 2001 8:12 AM

Great Web Site. I am a Pond fanatic as well. I recently moved onto a 30 acre pond in MN. I'm hoping there are fish. What are the odds? Here is the site: http://home.mn.rr.com/pondidypond/ Thanks, Bob

Drew , Visitor from Marlboro Graduate School Feb 10 2001 7:45 AM

we love your site !

Brandon , Visitor Jan 8 2001 11:11 AM

Beverly - I'd suggest the Pond Tips link under Pond Talk at Collaborative Science . Hope this helps.

Beverly , Teacher Jan 6 2001 11:38 AM

I want to build a small simple pond for the k--5 students to use as a schoolyard habitat. How do I do this? Is there an internet site to explore and find information on?

John , Visitor Dec 10 2000 9:27 PM

ponds are great source of learning but they could be a little more looked after...

Brandon , Teacher from Educational TECHnology Center Nov 21 2000 9:22 AM

Kenneth - Most experts divide the aquatic life in a pond into three categories "Aquatic habitats are broken down into three basic communities: benthos, or the bottom; surface, the top; and the water column, the area between the top and bottom. These three can be categorized even further by light, vegetation, closeness to shore, depth, food resources, and other plants and animals." Perhaps the shore is the fourth. To find examples of such life you may wish to visit Layers of Pond Life . Hope this helps.

kenneth , Student Oct 30 2000 8:09 AM

what are the four plant and anamal zones from a pond and name 3 types of plants and anamls from ther diffrent zones

Alex , Student from West Tisbury Oct 27 2000 12:23 PM

I love your website

Taylor Smith , Student from West Tisbury Oct 23 2000 12:05 PM

Cool action shots!!!!

Alex , Student from West Tisbury School Oct 23 2000 12:04 PM

Your pond pictures are good!

cara , Student from Our Lady of Peace Oct 19 2000 1:00 PM

This website is awseme

Hannah , Student from byght Oct 19 2000 2:58 AM

I think that the life in ponds is interesting

Cara , Student from Our lady of Peace Oct 17 2000 1:09 PM

This website is fantastic

BRENNA , Visitor from OUR LADY OF PEACE Oct 17 2000 1:06 PM

THIS IS GREAAAAAAAAAAAAAT SITE

Lauren , Visitor from Barlow Oct 16 2000 2:29 AM

This website is reaaly interesting it told me evrything i need to know!

Lindsey , Student from Millstreet school home of the mustangs Oct 11 2000 7:37 PM

are fourth grade class went to a real river and monitored it you shoul do it its the bomb

Brandon , Teacher Oct 9 2000 9:19 AM

Mary - A food chain is defined at Bob's Science Page . You can apply this pond life by using trying out the virtual pond simulation on this site or visit Life at the Water's Edge . Does anyone else have some suggestions?

Jennifer , Student from Houghton College Oct 8 2000 6:48 PM

Hi, I am a junior in college who stumbled across your project today. I just wanted to let you know how wonderful your site looked and wondered if there are any opportunities for me to get involved with your research or other activities. I am taking a class which requires online interaction with a classroom, and I was hoping there were some opportunities for this. Hope to hear from you soon! Jennifer Rimer

Mary , Visitor Oct 1 2000 4:41 PM

I'm doing this access course and I would like for someone to shine some light on some of these questions I've been asked to work out. What is a food web? How to work out food chains and the food web of a pond? Your kind reply is greatly treasured. Many Thanks Mary

Mary , Student Oct 1 2000 4:30 PM

trying to undestand the meaning of food web of pond life.I would you kindly advise me on this subject. Many thanks Mary

Codey , Student from Meadowbrook Elementary Sep 28 2000 10:07 AM

We found a lot of fingerling rainbow trout in Barton's Creek last week. We theorized that they may have been killed by a bad rainstorm we had, and that someone may have poured bubblebath in the creek or poison. We talked about the Whirling Disease. We brought one of the dead fish into the school and put it in a plastic bag to freeze it. Then we called Utah Fish and Game. They sent a Ranger down to collect the speciman. We haven't heard the results of the test yet.

Brandon , Visitor Sep 25 2000 10:20 AM

Mandy - If you are having trouble figuring parts per million or how to achieve it, contact this expert with USGS Water Expert . Good luck.

Brandon , Visitor Sep 25 2000 10:17 AM

Mandy - You can find the parts per million for real lakes and streams around the country at K12 streams These are student adopted waterbodies and student created water quality experiments. Select your water body type and then search and you will see a list of classrooms and their water body and water quality reports.

Mandy , Student from DeLand High School Sep 8 2000 6:55 PM

I am doing a science project on how phosphate and nonphosphate soap affect the growth of algae and I am having a difficult time figuring out how much soap to put in a 1/2 gallon of water to make the project relate to what really happens in life can anyone answer this?

Dan , Visitor Aug 18 2000 7:43 AM

Comments to Natalie and Stephen... Leaking...unless you have lots of clay or plastic lined, you're probably simple emptying into an underground run-off or table. Drain/pump the pond and line it with clay or plastic. Leeches/snakes etc. .. How old is the pond and when was it last emptied and dredged? leeches love shallow places and soft bottoms to bury in. I'm having a new pleant show up...looks like millfoil, and can't keep up with cultivation by hand. My pond is 110ft across and 13ft deep dug for swimming and has a nice clay bottom. I think it's time to dredge (and ruin my nice parklike lawn area) since the pond is almost 10yrs old but would appreciate any tips on this pesky plant.

Stephen , Visitor Aug 2 2000 7:33 AM

I resently bought some land with a one acre pond on it. The pond has a leak somewhere in it. The pond is filled through run-off. Engineers have determined that there is plenty of run-off but yet the pond will not hold more than 3 feet of water. I have walked the perimeter and can see no sign of leakage. We have had 5 inches of rain in a weeks time and still the pond has not changed. I have checked the overflow and it seems fine. It has been suggested that there is possibly a bottom leak which works off the amount of water (pressure) in the pond ? Any suggestions or places to turn would be greatly appreciated.

Brandon , Teacher Jul 18 2000 4:06 PM

Natalie - The experts on pond management at Ohio state have some suggestions on pond management at http://ohioline.ag.ohio-state.edu/b374/b374_11.html but conclude:" Although harmless, leeches can be very frightening and thus detract from the recreational uses of a pond. There is no practical control method that can be recommended." A cement bottom for the pond might help reduce the leeches.

Natalie , Visitor Jul 16 2000 5:09 PM

This is natalie again if you read my questions above i would want to hear some answers so please e-mail me at Natalierk@hotmail.com

Natalie , Visitor Jul 16 2000 4:43 PM

My other Question is about snakes.WE have a man made pond and these past 2 years new things have joined it.I thought that under water snakes only lived in tropical places but i have seen many snakes that live in my pond that can swim above and below water.I was wondering if i should bring these snakes somewhere or be careful of them?

Natalie , Visitor Jul 16 2000 4:35 PM

Our family had a pond dug for wildlife and swimming purposes. We enjoyed swimming in it until the leeches took over and ever time you put your foot in the water you would get a leech on it. My question is do you know of a way we can get rid of them or have someone do it for us?Please write back so we can swim again. Thank you.

Michele , Teacher from Roger Academy May 25 2000 7:02 PM

I have found in my class that observation time around our pond followed by drawing and writing about the pond food chain has really hit home in our natural ecology studies.

Savannah , Student from Meadowbrook May 16 2000 5:05 PM

Our class took water samples from the creek and our pond. We observed living things in both water samples. However, in the pond water we were able to see small animals swimming in the water. We think that other animal groups could live in our pond and would have food. One animal group we think would do well in our pond is the amphibians. We would like to introduce a frog to the pond.

Brandon , Visitor Apr 27 2000 8:22 AM

The lesson plans are designed for K-6. Other aspects of the site (Adopt a Pond, Virtual Pond, and Pond Talk) can be used by any educator.

susan , Teacher from Trinity Presbyterian School Apr 20 2000 3:19 PM

I really haven't had time to study your site in detail but on the surface is it mainly just for elementary? I teach AP environmental science to high school seniors.

CALLIE , Student from W.H. RHODES ELEMENTARY Mar 29 2000 10:58 AM

I LOVE THIS PLACE.

Barb and Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook El. Mar 8 2000 5:27 PM

Last Thursday, Mar.2, star date 2000 Third and Fourth Graders spotted no less than 10 eagles circling our pond area. We watched for ten minutes. They were huge!

lucy , Student from chuna Feb 29 2000 9:42 PM

I't would be nice to see Protozoan organism's. Also if it was to find!

Joni , Student from Meadowbrook Oct 21 1999 10:43 AM

Oct. 21 at 10:O We gather leaves. They were many colors. The waterfall was colorful and beautiful this morning. We love the signs of Autumn.

Brandon , Teacher Oct 13 1999 12:21 PM

A special thanks to the Cooks for the photo of the pond from Misawa City, Japan. Check it out under Adopt-a-Pond.

Brandon , Teacher Aug 27 1999 8:38 AM

Another year is about to begin! I'd like to see the schools with adopted ponds get photos for each pond for this year (to compare with last year). The Virtual Tour of the Outdoor classroom now has QT Virtual Reality panoramas. Check out the new links in Pond Action. Watch for more exciting additions as the year continues.

Cathy , Visitor from Eldorado/Emerson Aug 6 1999 8:43 AM

I'm thrilled to find this site. I'm a master gardener and am helping to plan a pond and garden at a K-12 school. It is a joint project of the art and science departments. Your links and lesson plans will be invaluable!

matt , Student Jun 3 1999 7:08 AM

I think pond talk is awesome!

Nicole , Student from JJES Jun 3 1999 6:55 AM

I nlike this web very much. it is so great. I hope that the picturs lode up quicker.

Nicole , Student from C.I.S. Jun 3 1999 6:47 AM

I think this is a great web. I think that you should have more pictures.

Erin , Student from Meadowbrook Jun 1 1999 2:01 PM

Yes,there are ducks still at our Meadowbrook pond. Outdoor Classroom Dedication and Open House. Meadowbrook Elementary School.We will Celebrate on Wednesday,June 2 at 10:00.

Mrs. Frazier , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Jun 1 1999 11:39 AM

We are happy to report that the ducks that live in the creek have been seen swimming in the creek since we put in the man-made pond. They have not been seen swimming in the man-made pond yet.

nancy , Visitor from crestwood/troop891 May 13 1999 3:16 PM

hi! my name is nancy and im a junior girlscout leader- troop 891.we monitor lake paige/streams in assoc./with our elem school in richmond va . im interested in talking with scouts/leaders who are assoc. with your activities.

Darlene Bell , Teacher from Weber high School Apr 29 1999 3:03 PM

I am looking for some pond activities for high school students, any ideas where to finds some? If you reply please use the following e-mail address: DBell@warriors.weber.k12.ut.us

Mr. Thacker , Visitor Apr 15 1999 9:52 AM

Since Meadowbrook is constructing a pond, have the ducks flown away or are they still there?

David , Visitor Apr 11 1999 9:42 AM

I need some help with how to clean leaves out of my pond. It is a fairly large size pond with waterfalls. Located in western PA . We get a lot of leaves in the fall and they are all through the pond. Is there a good cleaning system available to get rid of these leaves?

Cam and aust , Student from meadowbrook the best Mar 25 1999 2:45 PM

today we saw to ducks a male and feemale

Michelle , Student from Meadowbrook Elementary Mar 22 1999 3:08 PM

Our Fourth Grade Class went to the Weather Station in the Nature Area at Meadowbrook School. We checked the temperature with the thermometer. It was Thursday March 18, 1999. The temperature showed 10 degrees Celsius and 50 degrees Farenheit. We checked the Barometric Pressure on a homemade Barometer. Then we checked the pressure with Mrs.Manfull's knee. Then we checked the Barometric Pressure with the Weather Station on the Internet. The pressure was about 30 millibars. And Mrs. Manfull's knee was not hurting. So we knew that the weather was going to be fair. We also checked the depth of the water in the creek and it was 31 cm.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Mar 19 1999 3:48 PM

Mrs. Frazier's 2nd Grade Class Update: Today we took the temperature of the water at Barton Creek. It was 32 degress F and the air temperature was 44 degress F. We took water samples from the creek to examine in our science lab.The water seemed much cleaner then our visit in Jan. We found less particles of moss or bark from twigs. Spring run off has started and we are eager to check the creek for fish.

Jackie , Teacher from Lancaster Mar 16 1999 2:16 PM

Thank you for sharing with us. You've helped to give us a good start. Pond & nature trail. Jackey Dickey at Lancaster School in Salem, NH 03079

Mr. Thacker , Teacher Mar 15 1999 12:33 PM

Douglas - ExplorA-Pond will continue through 1999 and even into the start of the next school year.

Douglas , Teacher from Caledonia Mar 10 1999 8:13 AM

When does this project end for the 1998-1999 school year? Thanks for your help.

Mr. Thacker , Teacher Mar 4 1999 4:40 PM

Jessica - If you want to learn how to build a pond in your classroom, look three entries below your comment and notice that Loredana's name is underlined. The underline means you can E-mail her by clicking on her name. Your teacher can also E-mail me by clicking on my name and I'll send some step by step instructions to her and she can teach you! Deal?

Mr. Thacker , Teacher Mar 4 1999 4:35 PM

Thanks for the comments on the Ponds. It is fun to hear from Texas, Kansas, and Florida. Matthew and Caleb asked how we found funds for this site. A group of educators called UtahLink gave us a $3,500 grant to start the web site. The Utah Education Network hosts this site for free. If your teacher registers and gets a password, your "adopted" pond could be shown from this site too! (and a password is free). That is one of the most exciting benefits of the Internet, people who know how to do things can share the fun with thousands of others. Check out some of the Adopted Ponds and see what other classrooms are doing.

Cordaro/Beaver , Teacher from Brandywine Wallace Mar 2 1999 1:56 PM

We loved playing in the virtual pond! Our kids will learn a great deal about the pond habitat through this experience.

Mrs. Orendorff , Teacher from Brandywine Wallace Mar 2 1999 11:11 AM

The virtual pond is a great idea to use in the classroom!

Caleb , Student from Bryson Ele. Mar 2 1999 8:59 AM

Caleb,Bryson Elementary,Ft.Worth,TX: I like what you are doing with the Pond Water group.But how did you get the money for this?I've got to go. Bye

jessica , Student from bryson Mar 2 1999 8:58 AM

I like what you are doing with the pond water will you sow me how you did it?

Matthew , Student from Bryson Elementary Mar 2 1999 8:57 AM

Matthew,Bryson Elementary,Fort Worth,Texas: How many kids are in the group? Where did the group get all the money ? How long have you been doing the pond water study?

Jennifer , Student from Bryson Elm. Mar 2 1999 8:56 AM

I am a student from Ft Worth, Tx. I love your site about the virtual pond. That is very interesting!It It is just like your very own pond. I was wondering how you came up with that idea. How did you get the money? Thank you.

Loredana , Teacher from Conover Road School Feb 25 1999 6:37 AM

I have a second grade class. We are studying ponds right now. We are building our very own pond in the classroom. If you are interested in information please e-mail me! Loredana99@aol.com

Lindsay , Student from Meadowbrook El. Feb 9 1999 8:34 PM

I vote we put the pond at Duck Islet.

Donna , Visitor Feb 1 1999 8:42 AM

Your site is great! I especially like the Virtual Pond simulation - a great learning tool.

Amanda , Student Jan 28 1999 2:28 PM

Hi, I just one day droped by this web site, I found it ver neat and interesting! If anyone wants to talk about ponds, you can e-mail me at a_couch@hotmail.com

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Jan 15 1999 4:43 PM

update:Friday,Jan. 15,1999 Mrs. Frazier's second graders recorded the temperature at 40 degress F. and the creek water was 44 degress F. It was raining slightly and cooler air accompanied the rain. The students also took water samples from the creek. We took the water to the science lab and put this water in petri dishes to examine closer. The students were looking for living things in the water. We discovered small animals were still living in the creek water. We are interested in how the warm winter weather changes the creek.

Brandon , Visitor Dec 17 1998 10:19 AM

Many dead fish are showing up at Mayors Pond. You can see the photo at http://www.uen.org/cgi-bin/websql/utahlink/pond/pond.hts?pond_id=4005 Does anyone have any idea why the fish might suddenly die off and how a class experiment to find out the real reason?

Pat , Teacher Nov 20 1998 8:28 PM

I like your virtual pond. My students build a pond in the classroom each year out of a plastic pool. Then they bring in water from ponds, lakes and rivers. We have minnows, turtles, snales and many small creatures which study throughout the year.

Brandon , Visitor Nov 17 1998 1:42 PM

Really like the experiences recorded at the Western Coventry Pond Page http://www.uen.org/cgi-bin/websql/utahlink/pond/pond.hts?pond_id=3005 Thanks for sharing

Ed , Visitor Nov 1 1998 5:17 PM

Pond pH is interesting!

Shalli , Student from Meadowbrook Elem. Oct 27 1998 4:52 PM

Update: We have butterfly eggs and small caterpillars in our classroom's net cage. We are very excited about the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly taking place in our classroom. We will release them into our nature area soon.

Mrs. Saccoccia , Teacher from Western Coventry School Oct 27 1998 1:39 PM

My math class recently participated in the third grade probability lesson and they really loved it! Cutting all the pieces took them awhile (what concentration!) but the actual lesson in chance and probability was great.They were amazed at how everyone's results were so close until they found out why. Then the students thought of other ratios to extend the activity. Smart kids! Thanks for the activity!

Mrs. Manfull , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Oct 7 1998 5:49 PM

4th Grade spent a day in the Nature Park on Sept. 25th. We groomed the amphitheater, cleaned up all the litter in Barton's creek and classified the litter by recycle-able or non-recycle-able. We stained our tipi poles with water-seal and gathered a large pile of rocks with which to build the pond.

Mrs. Frazier , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Oct 7 1998 5:41 PM

Update: Hello to Canada! Thank you for your suggestions. We will work on getting pictures of our pond site. Also, we will try to get photos of some of the species around our creek. Please select a site from the creek tour that you feel would be suitable for a pond.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Oct 6 1998 5:29 PM

Update:The second grade class at Meadowbook pulled up the web-site and looked at the Virtual Site Tour. The students watched the monitor and looked at 4 different sites on the web page before visiting the actually creek site. The visited provided a chance for the students to see how maps represent a certain area of surface land. The water level was very low. Duck Islet and Tree Islet were the students'favorite sites. The water looked very muddy. The students thought it was because of the resent snowfall in the mountains. What do the students in your class think could cause such muddy water this time of year?

Naomi , Student from Morden Elementary School Oct 5 1998 6:22 PM

Hi, I like this web site! I'm from Canada!

Naomi , Student Oct 5 1998 6:18 PM

I think that for the virtual pond tour you should have a photo of a pond and for wich ever species you choose you should have a picture of how ever many you have in the pond by week 18. You should have more of a selection of species.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Oct 1 1998 7:19 PM

Update Our first visit to the nature area this school year began with a look at the butterfly garden planted by last year's second graders. The wild flowers were in bloom and we saw many insects. We have larvae turning into butterflies in our classroom. When they emerge from their pupas, we will release them into our garden. We walked along the creek and noticed the low water level in Barton creek. This is a great chance for the new 2nd graders to watch the creek change water levels during the school year. Our next visit will be part of our map skills as we study the web-site map and then visit those sites along the creek.

Mrs. Frazier , Teacher from Meadowbrook May 13 1998 4:45 PM

update.May 12,1998. Our second grade class worked in the nature area along Barton Creek. We used shovels, rakes and gloves to dig and remove grass from a 3' by 7' section of ground. We planted six Hollyhock plants. Our selection for Hollyhock plants was determinded by our experiment in the fall with butterflies. We discovered that the Painted Lady butterfly developed and reproduced well eating Hollyhock leaves. Therefore, we decided to grow our own butterfly garden and see what kind of butterflies we can attract. We also planted wild flower seeds. Our students would like to know if any other school is growing a butterfly garden.

Destiny , Student from Meadowbrook May 12 1998 3:28 PM

update: May 8,1998. Our second grade class went to Barton Creek to observe the high water level. At the culvert entry site we took air and water temperature. The air was 60 degrees F. and the water was 40 degrees F. The students observed the speed of the water and wanted to know how fast it was moving. Question, is there some way second graders can find the speed of the water?

Mrs. Manfull , Teacher from Meadowbrook May 1 1998 5:10 PM

update:Fourth grade went to the nature park this week to make observations for projects needing to be done for upkeep. We found that the plants are growing well because of the rain from El Nino. We have prolific growth of purple mustard plants in bloom. We found hundreds of maple seedlings growing all over our berm/amphitheatre. How has El Nino affected the area around your school or nature park or pond?

Tonya , Student from Meadowbrook Apr 24 1998 6:56 PM

Update: On April 24,1998, the second grade class visited Barton Creek and cleaned up any litter they could find. The collection will be compared to trash found last year on Earth Day. The students would like to ask about your Earth Day activities. If you collected any trash, what did you collect? We would like to compare it to what we collected around our stream. We also spent an hour preparing the ground for our butterfly garden. 24 students used gloves, shovels rakes and a wheelbarrel to clear away unwanted grass and weeds. We had a nice rainfall that made the soil easy to work on. We are planning to spread wildflower seeds on April 27th. We will plant sunflower seeds and hollyhock plants. We would like to know what other plants should be used for a successful butterfly garden?

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Apr 4 1998 11:55 AM

Update: On April 3, Mrs. Frazier's second grade class visited the Outdoor Classroom to observe the signs of Spring. We saw buds on the trees, small purple Spring flowers, and jumping spiders. As the students walk along the creek, they observed the increase speed of the water flow and the increase of the water depth. The duck islet location had a beautiful natural pond. The students thought tadpoles could live there now. The air temperature was 56 degrees F. and the water temperature was 46 degrees F. at the duck islet site. The water was also 46 degrees F. at the drain site. We also observed litter along the creek and in the water. Our next visit will be a service project to clean the creek and Outdoor Classroom.

Barbara J. Manfull , Teacher from Meadowbrook El. Mar 27 1998 3:19 PM

update: March 25, 1998 Fourth Grade at Meadowbrook visited the Outdoor Classroom. We made minibooks and looked for signs of spring. We drew the blossoms coming out on the violets and the maple trees. Other sprouts are coming up and other trees are budding. We measured the creek which was running at 18". We last measured it on March 11 and it was running at 12". With the snow melt it has come up 6". We also saw jumping spiders and two mallard ducks...."Betty" and "Spencer".

Dwight , Visitor Mar 26 1998 11:29 AM

Belinda - Ozone damage to plants may show up as lack of elasticity. A good way to visually "see" ozone pollution would be take a microsope slide (or other thin clear surface) coat with petroleum jelly and leave outside. The jelly should catch some of the pollutants that would show up under the microsope. Anyone else have some good sites that might be helpful?

Belinda , Teacher from Graham Elementary Math & Science Magnet School Mar 23 1998 11:30 AM

Does anyone have any good ideas about testing pond water, studying the effects of automobile fumes? My class is just beginning our adopt-a-pond project. Our pond is right along side a major parkway in Westchester County. If anyone has any suggestions for my first grade class, please e-mail me. Regards, Belinda Jackson First Grade Teacher Mount Vernon, NY (914) 665-5080

Tonya , Student from Meadowbrook Elem. Mar 5 1998 3:32 PM

Tonya, I think the pond should be put at the tree islet site. I think it looks peaceful there. I think fish will live there because their food can live there. 2nd grader

Christine McCullough , Teacher from Meadowbrook El. Feb 18 1998 1:36 PM

On January 30, 1998, our sixth grade class visited Barton Creek to see about signs of spring. The weather has been warm; at 2:30 p.m., the air temp. was 50 F. (10 C.) and the water temp at the culvert entry was 39 F. (4 C.). We looked for evidence of our trout, but they did not appear that day.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Feb 12 1998 5:13 PM

Update: Feb. 12 The Fourth Grade Mountain Men and Mollies went to the Nature Park to find campsites. The Blackfoot Eagles found one at the corner of the fence and the East Straightaway site for the pond. We made firepits and lined them with stones. We noticed that there were no insects. It was snowing slightly and we tried to find flint so that we could start a campfire. We tried many kinds of rocks and hit them together but we could get no sparks. Then we thought maybe our tinder was too wet. So we built some small wickiup shelters to keep our tinder dry. We set out bird feeders made from plastic gallon containers and filled them with seeds. The Ute Lego People located their campsite on the bank overlooking Tree Islet. The Blackfoot Cougars located their campsite near Tree Bend and the Ute Animal Likers located their campsite at the J&L Bend and the West Straightaway. To this date every Fourth Grade student in Mrs. Manfull's class has accessed the Explorapond Site and have voted for a quiet pond location.

Barbara , Teacher from Meadowbrook Jan 16 1998 10:36 AM

Update January 15,1998 Fourth Graders went to the Nature Park today and wrote winter settings. They noticed that the creek was running full with no ice on the banks. It was raining at 10:00 a.m. but had been snowing earlier in the morning.The air was cool but not cold enough for snow. We are writing a winter story using an Indian as a main character. Today's experience was mainly language but we talked about how the weather is being affected by El Nino.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Jan 12 1998 5:25 PM

Update. On Thursday, Jan. 8, 1998, four second graders went to the culvert entry of Barton creek to mearure the air and water temperatures at 9:30 a.m. The air was 32 degrees F. or 0 degrees Celsius. We were very surprised to discover the water was also 32 F. or 0 Celsius. We tried to spot the trout in the creek but did not see any during this visit. One of students thought the fish might be swimming done the creek because the water was moving slower. Alot of the water along the creek's bank was frozen on top. We took a video of our quiet pond sites to help us compare with pictures taken in the spring of these sites.

BARBARA , Teacher from MEADOWBROOK Jan 8 1998 2:46 PM

matthew griffin jake ashcroft we want site 8 For Meadowbrook Pond.

Nancy Frazier , Teacher from Meadowbrook Dec 5 1997 4:22 PM

Update:12/5/97 On our visit to the creek this afternoon, and noticed that several dump trucks were parked on the opposite bank north of the old tree site. There appeared to be a new mass of concrete, or some similar material (greenish in color), dumped on that side of the bank. The class and several teachers were concerned about this new development.

Christine McCullough , Teacher from Meadowbrook Dec 5 1997 4:15 PM

Update: 12/5/97 The Meadowbrook sixth graders explored our creeksite this afternoon and collected examples of rotting and decaying material in preparation for microscopic studies of decomposition cycles. Are there any suggestions or comments on specific organisms we should be watching for? Our samples were taken from the creekbed, rotting logs, etc. all along the creek at all sites mentioned in the map.

Brandon , Visitor Dec 1 1997 10:05 AM

In response to Lindsay's comment : My last hint may have been too obscure. You may want to check out the following website and see how ice sometimes creates warm water conditions: http://www.covis.nwu.edu/PersonalPages/carwil/MediaBase/SeaIce.html

Brandon , Visitor Dec 1 1997 9:58 AM

Lindsay asked, "What happens to trout when the water freezes?" In response I would like to ask another question, "What happens to water when water freezes?" I think the answer to Lindsay's question is tied to the density of water at different temperatures. Not all water in the stream cools at the same rate. Some parts of the stream are colder than others. Visit the following web site and see if you can tell which part of a stream would be coldest: http://www.nyu.edu/pages/mathmol/modules/water/density_exp.html#density2_anchor You may want to do you own experiment and explore what happens to the density of water as it approches the freezing point to see if the water is colder on top or near the bottom.

Nancy Frazier , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Nov 25 1997 6:11 PM

Update: Nov. 24,1997, Fourth Graders felt the spirit of an Indian Summer and spent the morning in the Nature Park by the Creek where they experimented with putting up a full sized Sioux Tipi! They began learning the clove hitch and lashing technigues. They lashed the top of three poles together and with five students on each pole, they lifted the tripod to a vertical postion. Then each group moved in three different directions. The students planted the feet of the poles and the tipi stood. Since the group moving east had gone too far,the tipi was off balance. So they took it down and went to the room to figure out ways to make it work more easily. Math concepts were used to figure a better location for the feet of the tripod based on an eighteen foot tipi diameter. Notes were recorded on the experience and kept along with recommendations and diagrams for the next experience. The class, under the direction of Teacher, Barbara J. Manfull, will try the experience again, tomorrow, as part of the Fourth Grade Indian Fair.

Nancy Frazier , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elem. Nov 21 1997 5:00 PM

On Nov. 18, 1997, the second grade classes went to the creek to select a rock that had been in lying the water. The students stopped at the old tree site and found different sizes of rocks. They discovered that no matter the size, the rocks were smooth in texture, oval or round. This discovery helped each student understand one step of the weathering process. The students observed a definite difference in the rocks that had been in the stream as they compared them to rocks found in the mountains. The selection of a rock from the creek helped them understand more about the rock cycle.

Jodi and Amanda , Student from Meadowbrook School Nov 6 1997 3:22 PM

I vote for Tree Islet to make a pond because there is a narrow place to dam it up. Amanda Sarle I vote for Culvert Entry because we saw a fish there today. Jodi Hill

Brad , Student Nov 5 1997 10:11 AM

We went down to Barton creek. We took samples of water from diffrent places. We took the water samples to the sciece lab and looked at them through a microscope. some of them were different colors and shapes. We looked at them and then switched them with other so everyone had a chance to see them. we drew pictures of them.

Lindsay , Student from Meadowbrook Elem. Nov 4 1997 4:12 PM

Nov.4 At the culvert entry, I saw alot of trout fish. Three days before, the water temperature was 40 F. I want to know what will happen to the trout fish when the water gets 32 F.and becomes frozen?

Tonya , Student from Meadowbrook Oct 31 1997 10:47 AM

I walked along the creek with my class and saw tree islet. I saw a good place for a pond. I think we could place rocks here and make a calm pond to study.

Nancy Frazier , Teacher Oct 24 1997 4:21 PM

Update Oct. 24 The 4th grade class at Meadowbrook visited the outdoor classroom after the first snow. They found a lot of leaves on the ground that yesterday were on the trees. There were willow leaves, maple and box elder leaves. Many of them were still in colors of reds, golds, and yellows. There were still leaves on the trees but the weight of the snow was bending leaves and branches. We could not see any insects out today. The temperature was 48 F. and 9 c. The creek was full and running. No ice was present. The fourth graders in Rm. 16 are leaning toward old tree bend for the pond. Some students haven't decided yet.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Oct 14 1997 11:26 AM

Update Nancy Oct. 6, 1997 The 2nd grade went on a city walk and stopped at the culvert entry location on the creek.We saw the school of trout fish that were seen in May. They have grow to about 4 to 6 inches in lenght. The sun was shining on the calm spot and the trout were very visiable at that time. We plan to visit the location again to collect more information.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Oct 2 1997 5:06 PM

Update Nancy Frazier,Thursday,Oct 2, 1997 2nd grade class viewed the pond sites on the computer monitor and located the names for the sites along the Barton Creek. Then the students made a perdiction of which site might be the best place for a quiet pond. The students selected the amphitheater straightaway,tipi bend or old tree bend. The class then walked out to the sites and discovered some interesting things about the sites they chose. Tipi Bend was very narrow and had no place for a quiet pond. The amphitheater sraight away had living insects and space for a quiet pond. However, old tree bend, at this time of year had a natural place for a quiet pond. We will visit the other sites when the weather is more suitable.

Steven , Visitor Oct 2 1997 2:14 PM

I enjoyed the two links about leeches that Brandon provided. I found a few additional links that might help. To learn more about leeches visit www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/westbrookes/macro/leeches.html which has some good information on the subject. I also found a picture of both a worm and a leech which may help Nancy and her class spot the difference between the two. And if you still have not seen enough of leeches, here are some additional images of leeches.

Brandon , Visitor Oct 1 1997 4:38 PM

http://www.gene.com/ae/TSN/SS/CA/Leech/Lovable_Leeches.html and http://www.articfire.com/arcfire/leeches.htm will both give some clues to your question about leeches. Thought it would be more fun for students to discover the answer using geography and Internet Research skills. Hope these two sites help.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Sep 26 1997 4:57 PM

Update: On Sept. 26,1997. the 4th graders cleaned up Tipi bend and move rocks to make a desert garden,and indian trails. When they moved rocks by the creek,they saw long black sticky worm like critters. Some students thought they were leeches. Question: Can leeches live as far north as the 39th parallel? Please respond. The 4th graders felt like tipi bend would not be a good location for a quiet pond because on this date the creek is flowing to fast for a quiet pond. However, they feel amphitheater straightaway is a better location for a quiet pond. This is around the roots of old man willow. It is a natural catch place. In March 1997, fish were seen there by 4th graders.

Nancy , Teacher from Meadowbrook Elementary Sep 24 1997 7:19 AM

Update: I'm Nancy Frazier a teacher at Meadowbrook Elementary. I'll comment each week on activities around the out door classroom and give you a perspective from a 2nd grade teacher's point of view. If you need to find all of my comments watch for the key word Update: in each comment.

Brandon , Visitor Sep 9 1997 10:11 AM

I really like this chance to share opinions, so here is mine: I think the new pond should be built where it will least disrupt the stream. From my tour of the outdoor classroom, I favor the Tree Islet site. But I'm open on this and would love to hear from others. Where do you think the best site to build a pond would be and why?

Submit your own comment!

If you are ready, submit your own comment to Pond Talk