USFS returning Seneca Pond to wetland

A garter snake skimmed the surface of what little water remained in Seneca Pond. Birds were flying about as the trees were falling down, and grasses and plants were being pulled out and stored.

This was the scene of the U.S. Forest Service's project to return Seneca Pond to a wetland.

While many may have never known of the pond's existence, others have enjoyed hiking and biking near the 1/2 acre pond once known as "Hippy Pond" because of hippies who once lived there in a group of teepees. Before the Forest Service owned the land, John Brown Williams did though a lot of the history is sketchy. He built a home in the area and bulldozed out a spot in the wetland to create Seneca Pond where his children enjoyed playing in the water and jumping from the dock he built.

The area around the pond was also where 2007's Angora Fire started.

The goal of restoring Seneca Pond back into a wetland is to get rid of the non-native bullfrogs that took over the area according to Stephanie Heller, Project Manager and Hydrologist with USFS. "They were as big as your head," she said.

They want to restore the native amphibians who once called the area home, the Western Toad and native Tree Frogs. These creatures are facing dropping numbers across the U.S.

As the Forest Service drained the pond, garter snakes moved in and ate the tadpoles and juvenile bullfrogs.

Bulldozers will now move dirt around to what the USFS called a more natural state, with depressions for spring runoff to collect. Shrubs and small trees removed will be replanted and the fallen pine trees will be partially buried to create a natural habitat for amphibians.

A seasonal stream of water once fed into Seneca Pond and this will be reformed to flow into the new wetland area.

They expect to be done by the beginning of September, 2015.