Backyard ponds highlight July 12 tour

Pond Tour 2014 will feature 11 backyard ponds in Carson City and Douglas County on Saturday, July 12.

The event, put on by the Northern Nevada Pond Club, offers people who participate a chance to experience the beauty and serenity of private ponds while exchanging ideas about construction and other aspects involved, according to a club member who is one of the tour organizers.

“There’s a speciality pond for Carson City and a specialty pond for Minden,” said Melanie Miller, who added they would be highlighted during the tour. She said seven in Douglas County will be viewed by those touring from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while the four Carson City ponds are available to be seen on that Saturday from noon until 4 p.m.

A self-guided tour, it costs $10 per person or $15 per couple and is a fund-raising event for the club. Tickets are available at the Greenhouse Garden Center on Curry Street in Carson City, Plant It Nursery on Centerville Road in Gardnerville, or at Bridger Mountain Boutique in Carson City’s Carson Mall.

Miller said the sponsoring group is a “loosely organized social group” with members who enjoy backyard ponds and related landscaping. Club members occasionally take field trips to places like Sacramento to advance their knowledge and compare notes about ponds.

She said with the purchase of tickets, addresses and a map will be provided for those headed out on the tour. The ponds that will be seen on the tour are those of participating club members.

“We are a group of individuals who meet monthly to discuss backyard ponds, their care, maintenance, landscaping and raising koi,” said Miller. She said koi are Japanese fish some people say look like large goldfish. She also said the tour would help participants learn how the ponds can be integrated into any type of landscape, whether grounds available are large or small.