Drained? So is the popular BioPond

Those who know about it would say it is one of the University's hidden treasures. Tucked away behind the Goddard Laboratories and the Quadrangle on Hamilton Walk, the BioPond has been around for more than 100 years and continues to be a favorite spot for students and professors of the University community. But recently, the popular hangout was drained of its appeal. Don't worry, though, the ducks are in safe hands. In July, an overhaul of the BioPond began. The new BioPond -- to be unveiled in November -- will have a small waterfall and biofilter to keep the water clean. A small stone bridge and a wider stone path will also be added. "It's probably one of the best used and yet little known resources [on campus]," said Tracy Byford, who maintains the greenhouse and Botanical Garden area. While its regular visitors enjoy the vast green area that has been home to ducks, fish, bullfrogs and turtles, the haven for nature lovers is currently undergoing a much needed facelift. The animals that have been left homeless are being kept in water tanks while their home undergoes the facelift. The ducks were taken to a wildlife refuge and released on Darby Creek. According to Byford, the renovations will be financed through donations from Richard and Jeanne Kaskey. Byford, a 1979 College graduate, said that the face of the BioPond has changed a lot since her days as a student at Penn. "It was very overgrown at that point," Byford said, remembering the pond in the 1970s as "quite rundown." The image of the BioPond changed however, in the 1980s when Byford, who began working in the greenhouse after graduating from Penn, added a rock garden to improve the area. While Penn no longer has a Department of Botany -- whose studies utilized the pond the most -- the BioPond area continues to be used by University professors for research purposes occasionally and is a popular area for department functions. Byford said that up to 15 to 20 reservations are made to use the area during its best season of late April to early October. The future of this natural haven, however, is a bit shaky. The construction of a proposed life sciences building -- a $90 million project to be located near Hamilton Walk -- will take away space, and sunlight, from the garden. "The process of construction will probably damage it," Byford said. "It's hard to maintain a garden in an urban area." Byford estimates that the building will be five stories high. While she added that the final design of the building has not yet been determined, architects have been asked to conduct shade studies to minimize the damage to the garden due to blocked sunlight. The lack of sunlight will force gardeners to reconsider the types of plants that can be grown in the BioPond area. Despite its shrinking size, however, Byford noted that the importance of such a site should not be underestimated. "There's something about this garden that makes people love it," Byford said. "People need a place to go and clear their head in a natural area." So it looks like the fish, bullfrogs and turtles coming back to their home in November can expect to be able to call the BioPond home indefinitely.

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