We have approximately a 1/4acre pond here at Knight Farm and as far as we can tell nothing has been done with it for many years.
Another big project for us and our care farming service users. Our aim is to nurture our environment and help life and nature to thive. The pond is a fantastic area for sensory stimulation as there is so much to see. We have some beautiful butterflies, dragon flies, Canada geese, wild ducks, a heron and so much more all using the pond.
Mich Kennaway of Escot, in Talaton about 20 miles away, owns an aquatic centre. I knew the Kennaways well when I was a young girl and used to work at Escot waitressing. Remembering The expertise Mich had I called asking for advice. Apparently a pond this size should ideally be netted every 3-4 years. And mich was happy to come over and help us.
Today some long over due pond maintenance began. We netted the pond and have thinned out a number of fish leaving the rest to thrive. They must have spawned in the spring as there were hundreds of tiny ones. We even caught an eel. After having a good look we sorted through the fish and I made sure we returned the beautiful coloured/ patterned ones, and the eel amongst others! Mark, one of our care farmers really enjoyed assisting with this task. He held the net and worked closely with Luke at the pond side. It is so great to be able to offer individuals with special needs the chance to experience things like this!
Hopefully now we.can section off areas around the pond to create some reed beds and encourage more plants and wildlife. Watch this space.
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