Pond tour showcases local creations

A live hippo could wade in Patty Graff’s 70,000 gallon pond as opposed to the stone one, which greets visitors now.

As part of the Northern Nevada Pond Club’s annual pond tour Saturday, Graff hopes she can help everyone know they can have a pond.

“I hope people can see that you don’t have to have a pond as big as this,” Graff said. “You could put in a small pond with a simple waterfall and still get to enjoy the tranquility one can bring to an area.”

This year’s pond tour includes 13 ponds in both Douglas County and Carson City.

It’s broken up into morning and afternoon sessions to ensure all tourists can see every pond.

“We like to get people out and looking at all the other ponds that people have,” club president Mona Coleman said. “We also want to educate people about ponds and that some of them can be difficult, but they can be a lot of enjoyment.”

Coleman has been enjoying her double pond for 20 years that’s situated just outside her main bedroom.

While her pond isn’t part of the tour this year, the ponds that are range from large farm ponds to small pre-formed ponds.

“This gives people ideas,” Coleman said. “You can see if people have the same things and you can see the differences. They can tell you that they’ve tried this and it didn’t work or that they tried that and it did work. It’s a first hand experience from someone that has a pond.”

Graff’s pond complete with an upper pond with goldfish and a lower, larger pond with 15 butterfly koi has been part of the tour before.

Just recently becoming an official member of the club, Graff was happy to join the tour again.

“It’s such a beautiful pond and such a great group of people I wanted to do it,” she said. “I think the group and the tour adds a lot of joy to this area.”

Before buying her home where the pond was, Graff had never considered having one.

Spending nearly five days scrubbing the liner, relocating fish and removing 6,000 pounds of gravel, Graff is happy with the outcome.

“I come out here every day at sunset. The light shining through the fountain is just beautiful. It’s just so tranquil and peaceful.”

The pond tour allows owners and tourists to discuss various aspects of ponds like water features, plants and caring for fish, like koi.

Graff remembers learning about fish on a past tour.

“There was one person that had a pond that really was about the breeding and how to take care of the baby koi,” she said. “You also get to see the different styles, landscaping and sizes of ponds.”

“Its another part of your landscape. It’s not just a pond tour,” Coleman said. “You get to go into peoples’ yards and see their landscaping even if you don’t put in a pond you might see a walkway that you like.”

The pond club, established in 1998, was created to share the area ponds with other pond owners or those interested in having a water feature or additive to their yard.

Tickets are $10 and are available at Plant IT Nursery, Centerville Lane, Gardnerville; Valley Garden Center, Gardnerville; Greenhouse Garden Center, Curry Street, Carson City; Bridger Mountain Boutique, Carson Mall, Carson City.

The morning session for Carson City ponds is 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The afternoon session for Douglas County ponds is noon-4 p.m.

For questions call Sharon Dunk, 267-0336 or Bev Fricke, 265-7765.