Washoe Valley pond to be featured on tour

A whale-shaped boulder breaches the center of a five-foot deep pond at the home of Washoe Valley residents Tim and Christina Stevens.

The Stevens’ pond is featured in the Northern Nevada Pond Club’s annual pond tour set for 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. July 15.

The tour features many ponds in the surrounding area and allows people to experience the beauty and serenity of private ponds.

This year, the tour will begin in Washoe and continue through Carson City to Gardnerville.

The tour will highlight some of the techniques used to construct a pond and the various attributes a pond can bring to a backyard area.

“It’s really a social event,” said club member Sharon Dunk. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who has a pond who doesn’t like to share it.”

Previous events have attracted more than 100 people, including both amateur and advanced pond enthusiasts.

The Stevens have been attending pond tours in Reno for at least two years. This year will be their first time participating in the Carson Valley tour.

“We’ve been going to learn about ponds and how to maintain them,” said Christina. “It’s been interesting and so many beautiful ponds. Everyone has their own ideas that work for them and it’s interesting to see all the different creations and ideas.”

When the couple moved to the area in 2010 from Bradbury, Calif., they knew they wanted some kind of water feature on their five acres.

“We had a huge pool in Southern California, so we wanted some sort of water feature again and my husband always had the idea of a pond in mind,” said Christina.

The pond is filtered by a 100-foot river that flows through the backyard over naturally laid rocks and splits around a small island before coming together to form a waterfall.

“I wanted it to look natural like it was part of the landscape; so if I wasn’t running water into it, it would still look natural,” said Tim.

He said the feature is embedded with natural elevations and views making it an ideal attraction for wildlife.

He’s spotted bears, raccoons and a variety of birds, he said.

“It’s very relaxing,” said Christina. “We like to sit on the deck and listen to the waterfall, watch the koi and just take it all in.”

The tour allows those that are considering a pond to learn the ins and outs of water features, as well as connect those with similar passions for water features, ponds and koi.

The tour is broken into two portions; Washoe and Carson City ponds will be on display 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and Douglas County ponds will be available for viewing noon-4 p.m.

Exact addresses and directions will be provided on the tickets.

Tickets are available at the Greenhouse Garden Center, located on Curry Street in Carson City and the Valley Garden Center, located on Highway 395 in Gardnerville. Cost is $10 for a single ticket and $15 for a pair.

The pond club meets at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month. Each month the meeting is held at a different member’s home to explore their water feature or pond.

For information, contact Sharon Dunk 267-0336 or Bev Fricke 265-7765.