The Little Pond that Could

It's official.  The pond that has been in the neighbourhood longer than I have (I've been here 18 years) is gone.  The water has been drained and replaced now with bulldozers and dirt.  It used to be a haven for various waterfowl, including ducks, great blue herons, avocets, plovers and the occasional Canada goose.  I used to enjoy seeing the pond teeming with all sorts of birds on my drive to work.  In the winter, someone would go and shovel out a section for skating.  They even left a fire pit for everyone to enjoy afterward.

I felt angry that our community association would let a construction project of this magnitude go on, especially since the signs read that the land is for lease for retail/restaurant space.  Ironically, we already have those things not 5 minutes down the road.  I launched a one-person campaign to get some answers - I fired off emails to the construction company, our alderman, our community association.  My biggest question was the timing - this was happening during nesting season - the waterfowl had little ones who were too young to fly - where would they go?  My letter to the Calgary Herald was ultimately published in the Calgary Herald, but yielded no real answers either.

Then another letter and article about the pond appeared in the paper as well.  I wasn't the only one concerned.  Another family, who's kids loved to come down to the pond to see the ducks, were also concerned about the timing of the pond being drained.  The pond got a reprieve for awhile - the construction company relented and decided to leave the pond alone until the ducks were old enough to fly away.  Then they would continue with draining it.

Most of the summer went by and the pond, in most of its glory (what was leftover from the previous draining) continued to harbour the birds.

As soon as September hit, the water pump was back, draining the water out again.  The ducks continued swimming, even as the water levels were slowly decreasing.  Finally, the pond was empty, save for one small corner.

As I watch now, that little corner of the pond is still there - and surprising, still harbouring the same waterfowl that called it home for so long.  That little corner is little more than a puddle, but it is teeming with ducks - even amid the earth movers and bulldozers.  It seems that the pond and it's inhabitants are launching their own little protest - refusing to go away.  The ducks are refusing to leave what is left of their home and the pond it seems, is trying hard to keep what little water is has left.  The resiliency of nature leaves me in awe.  It saddens me to drive by there now and see nothing but dirt instead of what was once a home to wildlife, but give myself a little smile to see that little corner still there, teeming with life.  Amazing.