Proposed Pond

The US Fish and Wildlife Service's "Conservation Partnerships Program", under Mary Root from the Ventura CA office, visited Hastings with regard to a plan to install a small (100'x50') seasonal pond for California Tiger Salamanders and other amphibians. Although we have used the nearby pond on private land in previous studies, having a pond on Hastings would be a great addition. It would allow  studies of amphibians, a potential breeding site for tiger salamanders on the reserve, and easy access to a pond for the K-12 program. If we get final approval, and funding, we plan to move forward with the work later this summer. The site is shown on the photo, and would be between Big  Creek and the entry lane, in old field vegetation that is seasonally flooded by the road culvert and flow from School Hill. We would add a thin layer of clay to hold water, but the 18" deep pond is designed to dry out each spring.