With culmination of recent retaining wall reconstruction at the Village of Tower Oaks impacting the Stoneridge Pond site, the site has been restored to its prior, greenspace condition. We are turning attention again to possible habitat enhancements and signage installation that was envisioned when the neighborhood requested a renaming and designation for the site.
Therefore, we are looking for input and ideas on what to do. Previous ideas included installing assorted wildlife homes as habitat improvements. Suggestions included nesting boxes for ducks and geese, bird houses (especially for red-winged blackbirds that have frequented the site or for owls as natural rodent deterents), and perhaps bat houses in the trees around the site (as natural bug deterents).
Signage ideas have included some interpretive signs with proposed subjects of 1) the storm water management design and larger system throughout the City 2) history of the site [farm land, gift of Rose Dawson for neighborhood pool, SWM site], and 3) general environmental interpretation of local wildlife.
This activity is likley to get planned throughout the fall and winter, in time for implementing for the spring of 2005. Public input, especially from Hungerford residents is desired (contact Assoc. officers)
Text of letter from City responding to our recommendation.
We received a response (from Burt Hall, Director of Rec. and Parks) to our earlier recommendation on Stoneridge Pond renaming and additional site treatments [see link above]. The City supports our specific recommendations and this response outlines what City staff will do for each. While no deadlines are set, we should see activity started soon to accomplish these items. We will inform the Association membership of various feedback opportunities.
Text of letter to City officials with Assoc. recommendation.
The association addressed this issue at our June 12, 2002 General Meeting. The previous long-list of names was reduced to a short-list of four names during a straw poll held at our 2001 National Night Out Party. An additional fifth name was proposed as a floor motion at the general meeting. The final choices were:
The officers of the association made a recommendation in favor of the Stoneridge Pond name and that interpretive signage explain the history of the site including recognition of Rose Dawson´s land gift. Further, installation of additional wildlife habitat features was recommended.
On general vote, the Stoneridge Pond name received the most votes (by a substantial margin). And subsequent motion supported the officer´s recommendation on interpretive and habitat treatments for the site. The association will pursue this as a recommendation to the City. Hopefully, we will see progress on this shortly.
We are looking for a new name for the Cabin John Stormwater Management Pond (at the southern end of Cabin John Pkwy.). Residents have expressed interest in designating a name so we are collecting suggestions with the intent of picking one and asking the City to so designate the site.
The following suggestions have been made to date (July 30). We will conduct a straw poll of these suggestions at the National Night Out Party, Tuesday evening, August 7th (upper 300 block of W. Edmonston Drive), to thin the submitted suggestions to just a few for voting on at our next general meeting. List is in alphabetic order with notes where relevant.
Also, we need not necessarily call the site a pond. Other suitable terms might be: Basin, Bog, Fen, Glade or Marsh. This could be combined with any of the mentioned names (in place of Pond), for a little more distinctive moniker.
Yet another suggested name variation is applying a new name the whole site as a Park, not just as a Pond.
If you have furter suggestions, submit them by e-mail.
Copyright © 2002, Hungerford Civic Assoc.
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Last updated: Sept. 2, 2004.