Village Pond Park - Fowl or Foul?

The Village Pond Park (VPP) has been a mini-disaster area for some time. Residents are worried about crime and visitors are plagued with a carpet of urine and feces that makes walking in the area difficult at best, and on a hot summer’s day you can smell the Park long before you reach it. Only a few years ago these conditions prompted a major avian based epidemic that threatened the wellbeing of the entire area. Only the timely and dedicated intervention by volunteers saved us from more dire consequences.

Meanwhile, the City spent millions of dollars upgrading parks all over the place, failing to enforce the few, small “no feeding the birds” signs in the Park, and using contractors that swept the bird feces into the Pond itself, causing major water quality problems.

But it looks like the “foul” days of VPP are behind us. The city now uses a contractor who vacuums up the feces instead of sweeping it into the Pond, although this system is by no means perfect yet. Moreover the City set aside $30,000 to hire a firm to study the area and make proposals, and the City further set aside a line item in the budget to upgrade the Park, although no money was attached to the item because it isn’t clear what needs to be done. Even more encouraging, every member of the Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council seems to be 100% behind the need to do something constructive.

Which brings us to the topic – “What shall we do with VPP?” – of the workshop to be held Saturday starting at 9:30 am. Let’s start with an overall view. There are two major issues with the Park – (a) the crime in the area associated with the Park, and (b) the nature of the Park itself.

CRIME IN THE PARK

Residents and neighbors have identified a lot of crime problems in the area. Indeed, many residents don’t even report the crimes, so the crime data don’t reflect the true nature of what’s going on. With the help of Police services and the Neighborhood Watch, two problem areas were identified last year – (a) the unlighted area on El Rond at the intersection of Ridge Route, and (b) the culvert on the East end of the Park, which meanders past several homes. The solution to both these problems seems simple – put in a street light at the corner of Ridge Route and put up a fence along the North East side of the Culvert so that people can’t use the area for illegal purposes. To date the City has refused to do either of these things. Hopefully the consultants who are studying the Park will come to the same conclusions as the residents have, and the City will move forward to reduce the crime problems in the Park.

THE NATURE OF THE PARK

VPP is surrounded by the Lake Forest Community Association, aka The “Beach and Tennis Club”, so the HOA is very concerned with the Park (Full disclosure – I am on the Board of Directors of the HOA, although I don’t live near the Pond). Here is a (slightly modified) copy of a position statement written by one of our residents, endorsed by the Board, and sent to the City –

“Of [the] 28 parks [in Lake Forest] Village Pond Park is in the unique position to … highlight Lake Forest and South County wildlife. Instead of filling in the pond and “renovating” the park, the City has an opportunity to highlight another special benefit of living in Lake Forest.

WILDLIFE/NATURE EDUCATION CENTER

·  Kiosks with signs identifying the birds, ducks, turtles, bats that inhabit or visit the Park.

·  Signs – educational “DID YOU KNOW…”

·  Signs – regarding NOT feeding the wildlife at the Park. Include explanation of WHY they shouldn’t feed.   More signs throughout the Park  Larger, more readable  Bi-lingual

DOCENTS

·  Have volunteer docents, great opportunity to involve local seniors. Include bi-lingual if possible

·  Offer a monthly educational experience

·  School field trips – opportunity for a LOCAL experience that is FREE.

·  Bird-watching groups – a few already visit, spread the word and get more bird-watching groups

 SUGGESTED PARK EVENTS:

·  Annual Earth Day event, focusing on conservation, recycling, caring for our parks and wildlife, etc.

·  “Living with Wildlife” educational presentations. Opportunity to educate Lake Forest residents about…how to live safely with wildlife. Can be presented by wildlife organizations, Audubon, OC Animal Care, etc.

·  “Welcome Spring” – opportunity to learn about baby birds, baby ducks, etc.

·  “Fall Migration” – learn about migration patterns, why birds and animals migrate, etc.

·  “Lake Forest Photo Contest” of the birds and animals at Village Pond Park. Winning photos will appear on the educational signs in the Park and kiosks.

·  Tai Chi classes in the park

·  Photography workshops

The City can still have events in the Park – just different events than in other parks, and that are consistent with the natural setting.”

Thank you Christine for such a comprehensive set of suggestions.

COME TO THE WORKSHOP

The consultants have planned an excellent program, but the star of the workshop is YOU. They want to hear from US. Your opinion is vital. If you have the time, please come by. If you can’t make it, please send your comments to the City or you can use the Comment section here on The Patch to make your views known, and I will send them to the consulting team. This is a chance to make a difference. Please participate.