Drains could help ducks
DOUGLAS PARK — There’s an old saying that you should never defecate where you rest — or something along those lines. It seems ducks here haven’t learned that. As a result, they have been forced out of one of their favorite breeding grounds due to excess poop in the ponds.
Every year, just before summer, City Hall drains the ponds at Douglas Park for the removal of the fowls’ fecal matter, which causes nitrogen levels in the water to rise and promotes algae growth that starves the water of oxygen. This kills the goldfish, mosquito eaters and other fish City Hall releases into the ponds, not to mention the plant life, said Joe McGrath, supervisor of park operations for the city.
Preferring not to use chemicals to keep the ponds clean, McGrath said draining them is the only option.
The problem is, the ponds are dry around the same time the wild ducks give birth. This forces baby ducklings to survive without a major source of water.
This year, the ponds were drained May 2. A sign at the park explaining the absence of water says the ponds will be refilled May 25.
Residents who live near the park say they are devastated when they see a group of ducklings struggling to get free from the mud left behind. Others said that without the water serving as a natural barrier between the public and the ducks, people can touch the ducklings, which in turn leads the mother to abandon her babies. Without any guidance, the ducklings are left to fend for themselves and are often killed by crows or neighborhood cats, park visitors said.
“In a city which claims to be about sus-tainability and protecting the environment, this sure is contradictory,” said Tricia Crane, who lives near the park and has seen many of her neighbors try to help the ducks by providing water or escorting them across Wilshire Boulevard if they wander from the confines of the park. “I don’t understand why this has to happen every year at the same time. This needs to be handled better.”
McGrath said he receives several complaints every year from residents concerned about the ducklings, but he says they are not in danger of dying due to the draining of the ponds.
“They don’t really need the pond water to survive,” he said. “There’s plenty of water sources around the park and plenty of food. Plus their mothers are close by taking care of them.”
McGrath, who has worked for the city for more than 20 years, said the ducks have been regular residents of Douglas Park for as long as he can remember. They have always been an attraction and somewhat of a nuisance, particularly because of their waste.
With the remodel of the park, complete with new ponds, the ducks seem to be coming in greater numbers, sometimes by the hundreds, McGrath said.
To help handle the influx and make life easier for ducks and for residents, McGrath said new drains will be installed at the ponds so that the annual droughts may become a thing of the past.
Currently, the ponds are all connected to one drainage pipe, which makes it impossible to drain one pond without draining the others. With the new drainage project, set to begin after the summer, McGrath said staff will be able to drain some ponds while others would be untouched. The new system would also allow for some ponds to be partially drained and refilled with fresh water to cut down on the accumulation of nitrogen.
“We are trying everything we can to appropriately manage the ducks because we understand that they are a cherished aspect of the park,” McGrath said.
“We are trying everything we can to appropriately manage the ducks because we understand that they are a cherished aspect of the park.” — JOE MCGRATH SUPERVISOR, PARK OPERATIONS
On a recent visit to Douglas Park, a group of fascinated children could be seen intently watching a mother duck and her babies.
City employees working on the ponds said the ducklings were rare these days since most of the ducks have moved to the Water Gardens on the other side of town.
Tony Bruce, a screenwriter who walks dogs at the park to pay the bills, said he has missed the ducks and hopes they’ll return when the ponds are refilled.
“This is the absolute best place to see ducks in the city,” Bruce said. “They really add something to the character of the park. Seeing them just takes me back to my days on the farm in Indiana. Now where else in the city can you say that?”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 17, 2006. Read the original PDF.