celery pond

This picture, taken in late September, shows the area which is a natural overlook to Celery Pond.  This is part of the City land, running down from Conger and Prospect Street with its lengthy right of way land.  The City parcel starts at about this point of view and goes out into the wetland.

In the City’s Abonmarche plan which was approved by the Council in 2006, a boardwalk was drawn across the wetland to this point to connect walkers and bikers to the Kal Haven trail.

In Phase 1 of the CPA plan we will seek to establish the overlook platform with appropriate signage here.

In Phase 2 of the CPA plan we will seek to re-introduce the boardwalk idea.

There’s much work ahead to plan the engineering of this spot but it’s a project that will benefit everyone.  Not only will it give the public a wonderful vista of Celery Pond, it will be a spot for educating us all about the wetland and its wildlife.

With the leaves and cattails changing colors, you might enjoy walking or biking to this area.  It’s always a treat in the evening when the birds fly into the pond as a stop-over point after a day of flying around the neighborhood.

Celery Pond Advocates are having another remarkable year.  Along with a successful fundraiser in August, we are setting up our new website http://www.Celery Pond Advocates.org/ which will link to the blog and Facebook.

We recently presented the Prospect Street Wetland Overlook plan to the Parks Department, who unanimously recommended it to the Council.  As there are many details to pull together for this site, we anticipate the Council meeting will be in the spring.

We invite you to join the CPA family with your membership.  The objective of our first project is to blend education, nature and art.  We’re excited  about it and hope you will be too.

Choose a membership level from one of the below categories.  Your check can be made out to Celery Pond Advocates.  Our address is: Celery Pond Advocates, P.O. Box 241, South Haven, MI 49090.  Be sure to include your address, email and telephone number for our records.

• $10 Student/Senior
• $15 Individual
• $30 Couple/Family
• $100+ Big Advocate
• $200+ Super Advocate

Next year we’ll submitting a park design for Black River Linear Park B to the appropriate city officials, along with hoping to break ground on the Wetland Overlook.

Sunday was the St. Francis of Assisi Festival day.  It was a full moon too.  Today’s post is in honor of this great man.

Rather than watching the sunset at the beach last night,  I headed over to Celery Pond, intent on using a film camera loaned to me.  I’d forgotten how active and exciting it is to use film:  you become one with the action you’re trying to capture.  It’s not just a matter of just pressing a button like our electronic toys.

Focusing on the reflective beauty of the wetland and bordering forests was soothing.  But it was a challenge to capture the ducks and song birds sweeping into the Pond.

Countless formations of geese were calling out.  Impossible to know where they were in the twilight, they’d suddenly appear, arcing overhead for a second, before sweeping into the Pond.

Close to 100 birds had gathered together in the Pond’s waters which are more expansive from the storms.  Songs cut through the cool crisp air, sounding as if each one was having fun.  It was a big pow-wow.

The finale came when looking up, a dome of translucent blue sky was shot through with shafts of magenta light.  I breathed in the clean air and light of Celery Pond’s embracing ecosystem - a remarkable testament of the wonder of life.