This picture shows how shallow the pond is becoming. An invasive plant, called Ceratophyllum demersum (common coontail) has taken over this ecosystem.
What would you do if the pond disappeared? Would you be upset? If we don't do something soon, the Miller Place pond will no longer be a pond; it will be a marsh! The pond is going through something called secondary succession. It's when the environment changes over a period of time. Some people might be thinking, "It's nature, why should we do anything about it?" The thing is that this process is being sped up due to an invasive plant called Ceratophyllum demersum (also known as common coontail). It covers the bottom of the pond in a dense forest every spring, and when winter comes, a thick layer of sediment is added to the pond's bottom. Over time, the sediment builds up causing the pond to become shallower and preventing other plants and animals from being able to live there. We need to help the pond now before it's too late!
The picture on the left is a small piece of the invasive plant, Ceratophyllum demersum.
What can we do to help??
- We need to stop releasing animals into the pond. Many non-native plants and animals are introduced into an ecosystem when people empty their fish tanks or other things where they don't belong. This can cause plants such as common coontail or animals that don't normally live there to take over.
- We need to talk to our local government and agencies about restoring the pond. It will take a lot of resources, but together it can be done.
- We need to educate the community about the importance of the pond and why it is such a fragile ecosystem. If we want the pond to remain a part of our community, we need to do something now to save it.
