Work at Upper Duck Pond Benefits Flora and Fauna that Call it Home

Good news for the plants and animals in and around the small “upper” pond that's next to the main Duck Pond at Haverford. With guidance by wildlife experts, the College will be dredging and cleaning the small pond starting later this month, weather permitting. The work will result in a more favorable habitat for animals that call the pond home while mitigating flooding as it clears surrounding grounds choked by overgrown plants.

"The small pond is a silt collector for Lower Merion Township," says Arboretum Director Claudia Kent. "Storm drains in the vicinity empty into it. It's so filled with silt that at this point the upper pond is really little more than a flood plain."

Kent points out that all bodies of water that capture runoff need dredging from time to time, and it's been 13 years since the upper pond was restored to a state most favorable to plants and wildlife. (The main Duck Pond was last dredged in 2017, and will likely not need such work again for at least another 18 years.)

"By returning the small pond to its historical seven-foot depth, we'll be able to mitigate flooding and better collect silt that would otherwise flow into the Duck Pond," notes Kent.

During the project, native turtles and fish will be re-homed to either the Duck Pond or a location designated by state authorities. The work should be complete on or around Labor Day, assuming no complications. It is related to, but not formally part of, a comprehensive Arboretum restoration project that began seven years ago and which has seen the College plant 1,100 trees, most of them native, across the campus.

"Though small, the upper pond provides important habitat for native fish and turtles," says Kent. "The value of its role as a buffer for the Duck Pond cannot be overstated. This is a positive development for our campus."