GETTING CLOSER TO NATURE WETLAND ACCESS MADE EASY EDWARDS ADDS AN OBSERVATION DECK TO BIRD-WATCHING AREA.Byline: Daily News EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. -- An observation deck Ob`ser`va´tion deck 1. A room or platform at a high point in a tall building with a broad view of the surrounding area. It is often an outdoor platform, but is sometimes indoors in a room with large windows to accommodate viewing. and informational signs have been added to benefit visitors at one of Edwards Air Force Base's most unlikely spots -- a man-made wetlands on the edge of a dry lake bed inhabited by migratory 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 and other wildlife. More than 200 species of birds have been documented in the waters and among the reeds and grasses of Piute Ponds, which were created by a dike Dike, in Greek religion and mythology Dike: see Horae. dike, in technology dike, in technology: see levee. dike Bank, usually of earth, constructed to control or confine water. made in 1961 and are kept full by treated effluent released from Lancaster's sewage treatment Sewage treatment Unit processes used to separate, modify, remove, and destroy objectionable, hazardous, and pathogenic substances carried by wastewater in solution or suspension in order to render the water fit and safe for intended uses. plant. ``If you haven't been here before, you'll be surprised by what you find when you get here,'' said Col. Drew Jeter, 95th Air Base Wing commander. ``These ponds are man-made, but we are lucky to have them.'' Jeter and two elementary school pupils cut the ribbon during a recent ceremony to signify the installation of the observation deck and informational signs placed along the walking path that loops around some of ponds. Covering some 560 acres, Piute Ponds are located at the base's far southwest corner. They were formed beginning in 1961 after Los Angeles County built a dike along Avenue C to prevent treated effluent from its District 14 Wastewater Treatment Plant Wastewater treatment plant also called wastewater treatment works
n. The floor of a lake. . The ponds have become a stop for birds on the Pacific Flyway flyway: see migration of animals. , which is a common route for many species of birds as they travel south for the winter or north in the spring. ``We have people come from all over the country to watch birds at Piute,'' said Mark Hagan, Edwards' natural resource manager. The newly installed facilities include a welcome sign with a map showing the route of the walking tour, six signs that provide information about the plants, animals and insects that inhabit the area, and a covered observation deck that provides visitors some protection from the elements. Bailey Elementary School teacher Kristie Grubb has been taking second-graders to the ponds for eight years. ``The kids love coming here. I love to watch the look on their faces when they see all that water,'' Grubb said. People who want to visit the ponds must request access from Edwards' Environmental Management Office. Call (661) 277-1401 or e-mail mark.hagan@edwards.af.mil to receive an access letter. CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) A boy looks through a telescope at the man-made wetlands at the edge of Rosamond Dry Lake on Edwards Air Force Base. (2 -- 3) Above, children read a new informational sign at Piute Ponds, whose makeover is officially announced, below, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Edwards Air Force Base officials and Bailey Elementary School pupils. U.S. Air Force |
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