A DRAINING ISSUE : PLAN TO PAVE POND STIRS CRITICISM.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Daily News Staff Writer Environmentalists are crying foul over a plan to drain Lake Highland, a retention basin at Highland High School that has become a habitat for migratory birds and an educational resource. Steve Landaker, a member of the Antelope Valley High School District board, wants to pave the basin and build tennis courts or other recreation facilities over it. Miguel Rios, a campus security guard, wants the basin preserved and last fall helped organize a student petition to save it. ``I can't believe it, for a slab of cement and a (tennis) net to wipe out a whole generation of ducks and birds,'' Rios said. ``The kids are being shortchanged. Schools are supposed to be about education.'' Landaker has concerns that the basin will become a magnet for trash and mosquitoes. Already he has noticed people have dumped tree limbs and grass clippings there. With the cost of erecting a fence around the basin at more than $67,700, Landaker is questioning whether the basin is worth the expense. He also noted there are other wetlands in the valley that could be used as educational resources. ``Before we spend any money, let's see if the board is interested and open up conversations with the city of Palmdale,'' Landaker said. ``With the liability and everything else we have to look at, are we doing the right thing with that piece of property?'' The board will discuss the matter at its 7:15 p.m. meeting today at the district office, 44811 Sierra Highway. What was once a muddy storm water catch basin on the campus has evolved over the past five years into a serene and picturesque waterfowl waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to designate species kept for ornamental purposes on private lakes or ponds, while in North America it is used for quarry species and is sometimes extended to refer to wading birds of the order Charadriiformes, such as plovers and sandpipers, as well as to other edible water birds. sanctuary. The pond developed because the catch basin's drainage ditch was filled with cement and never drained properly, school officials said. Lined with cattails cattail or reed mace, any plant of the genus Typha, perennial herbs found in almost all open marshes. The cattail (also called club rush) has long narrow leaves, sometimes used for weaving chair seats, and a single tall stem bearing two sets of tiny flowers, the male flowers above the female. The pollinated female flowers form the familiar cylindrical spike of fuzzy brown fruits; the male flowers drop off and leave a naked stalk tip. and reeds, the basin is home to cranes, wild ducks, geese, coots COOTS - Conference on Object-Oriented Technologies and Systems coot, common name for a migratory marsh bird related to rails and gallinules and found in North America and Europe. The American coot (Fulica americana), or mud hen, is slate gray with a white bill, black head and neck, and white wing edgings and tail patch. It has lobed toes and is a skillful swimmer and diver but takes flight awkwardly, pattering the water to gain impetus. It eats aquatic plants and insects., swallows, goldfish, guppies GUPPIE - Gay Urban Professional, crayfish crayfish or crawfish, freshwater crustacean smaller than but structurally very similar to its marine relative the lobster, and found in ponds and streams in most parts of the world except Africa. Crayfish grow some 3 to 4 in. (7.6–10.2 cm) in length and are usually brownish green; some cave-dwelling forms are colorless and eyeless. They are scavengers, feeding on decayed organic matter and also on small fish., catfish, turtles and baby blue herons. ``It's an ecosystem,'' Rios said. ``It's a patch of greenery in the middle of the desert.'' A petition drive was started in September by students and staff to save Lake Highland after they heard of rumored plans to drain the basin and fill it to make space for portable classrooms. More than 2,000 signatures were gathered at the high school and from residents in neighboring communities, organizers said. The pond has been used as an outdoor classroom by Highland students in many fields of study, such as science, photography, law and writing, and students from nearby Cottonwood Elementary School also have paid visits. In addition, families from neighboring housing tracts take strolls around the pond and feed the birds. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1SAC and AV--color in AV) Waterfowl race acrossLake Highland in Palmdale on Tuesday. In recent years, the retention basin has become a sanctuary for birds. (2--SAC only) Highland High School security guard Miguel Rios wants the retention basin preserved and helped organize a student petition drive last fall. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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