Birds return to ‘Duck Park’ pond

Popular local lagoon officially reopened June 18



LOCAL PASTIME—Ryan Herrick, 10, and Sydney Herrick, 12, feed the ducks at Rancho Simi Community Park’s newly reopened duck pond June 18. Below, a flock of Canadian geese climb up the bank.

LOCAL PASTIME—Ryan Herrick, 10, and Sydney Herrick, 12, feed the ducks at Rancho Simi Community Park’s newly reopened duck pond June 18. Below, a flock of Canadian geese climb up the bank.

A dozen Chinese geese and many of their feathered friends have finally returned home to the Rancho Simi Community Park lagoon, nearly a year and a half after the pond was drained as part of a $1.7-million renovation project.

The construction fences surrounding the lagoon at the 35- acre “Duck Park” at 1765 Royal Ave. were taken down June 15, nine months behind schedule but just in time for the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District’s first Music in the Park summer concert on Saturday.

 

 

Originally scheduled for completion in September 2015, the project was delayed multiple times due to a couple of hitches in construction, as well as a setback with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

But as of this week, the pond has been cleaned out, relined and refilled. The lagoon features a new water filtration system. The surrounding concrete curb has been reconstructed, and new landscaping has been planted around the pond and on the center island, said Wayne Nakaoka, RSRPD’s director of planning.

“A lot of (the wildlife) has returned,” he said. “It seems like everybody’s happy, including the animals.”

The Duck Park at Royal Avenue and Erringer Road was developed in 1974. Before the recent project, the lagoon had never been renovated.

When construction began last year, a flock of 16 Chinese geese, as well as dozens of ducks and birds that live at the lagoon, were forced out.

The geese, which are homebound birds, meaning they typically live and stay close to where they were born, moved into the neighboring Arroyo Simi. A group of volunteers going by the name

Mother Geese have been caring for the displaced flock ever since.

Allegra Reid, who formed the group, said she and her fellow volunteers are “beyond happy” that the pond is open again.

“Only 12 of the 16 original geese have returned and are seen right now,” she told the Simi Valley Acorn on Monday. “We know two died for sure. We’re hoping the other two are still alive and will make their way back.”

Reid said the upgraded lagoon looks beautiful.

“I was going there every day and the water was literally toxic,” she said. “Dead fish were floating up to the top. Nothing was going to clean that pond without completely draining it and getting the sludge out. But now they have new liners. They have an incredible pumping system—technology that wasn’t even there 40 years ago.

“I think it was well worth it.”

Although the geese and other water fowl have returned to the lagoon, Reid said, she and a few of the other volunteers plan to continue feeding and monitoring the birds.

The group wants the park district to put up permanent signs near the lagoon asking visitors to avoid feeding the birds bread and junk food.

“Bread is so bad for them,” she said, adding that she gives the geese and ducks layer pellets and game feed. “We hope to bring awareness about feeding them healthy foods.”


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