BUCKINGHAM
POND PARK ON
LIFE SUPPORT?

Took a ramble around the
pond park this morning.

The pond park is on
life support.

Now is a fine time for
taking a photographic
inventory of the pond
park, highlighting assets
and identifying issues/
 problems that need
to be addressed.

Water quality is poor.
The result of a number
of factors including
but not limited to:

1. The pond is shallow
   
2.  Siltation is occurring
     at a rapid rate because
     of bank/shore erosion
3.  Excessive use of lawn
     chemicals and road salt
     on lawns and roads
     in the pond watershed
4.  Presence of invasive
     plants

Remedies include: 
dredging, stabilizing bank
shore erosion by planting
trees/shrubs that tolerate
wet sites, reducing and
eliminating excessive use
of lawn chemicals and road
salt in the pond watershed
and control of invasive
plants.

The pond park needs of a
short and long term
reforestation plan.

1. Take a complete inventory
     of existing woodlands, trees
     and shrubs.

2.  Using a system of colored
      ribbons, identify:
      a) vines to cut from trees
         particularly in  wooded
         areas of the south and
         west of the park

      b) trees that contain dead
           branches that overhang
           pathways, picnic and
           play areas, and which
           present safety hazards

      c) dead trees that present
          similar hazards

      d) varieties of mature and
           young trees that should
           be protected/ nurtured

      e)  sites for planting
           a greater diversity of
           young trees and shrubs
           for the future.

           Suitable varieties of
            low cost young trees/
            shrubs can be obtained
            now from local county
            soil and water districts
           

      f) areas where underbrush
         and dumped yard wastes
         should be removed
         
 Pathways need a top dressing
 of  coarse blue stone. The
powered blue stone surfaces
do not drain well, become
slippery when wet.

Red Osier Dogwoods should
be planted the length of the
recently installed crushed
stone path, south side park
between Euclid and Lenox.

Big rocks or a guard rail
need to be installed at the
foot of Lenox, south side
to prevent pedestrians on
the park path below, from
being hit by vehicles who
fail to make the right turn.

The dead tree overhanging
the path at that location
needs to be removed before
someone is injured.

Many more improvements
are needed. See numerous
earlier posts in archives
of

http://bpcnanews.blogspot.com/


The City of Albany can
make some of these
improvements.

Citizen groups like the
Buckingham Pond
Conservancy and others
can handle many of
these improvements.

                     Joe Sullivan