online
photo
courtesy of
Lynn Reno
Greater
Phoenix Pond Society
Pond
Tours
Our 2008 12th Annual Pond Tour will be on
Saturday and Sunday
May 10 and 11, 2008
For Questions: email Susan Smithwick or call (480) 654-2107
Once a year, the Greater Phoenix Pond Society organizes a tour of members' ponds.
From among all the members who volunteer to open their yards to the public each year, a group is selected according to location, in an effort to create a circuit of ponds close enough to one another that they could all be visited within a few hours. Pond owners typically answer questions, give advice, offer shade and refreshments, and oftentimes put up displays detailing the pond's construction and inhabitants, seasonal photos of their project, and educational information for distribution. Ponds on the tour can range in size from approximately 1600 gallons up to 11,000 gallons!
Tickets (maps) are typically sold through local nurseries, pet stores, and the like. The cost will be $10.00 per car load. The events are promoted in local newspapers, gardening radio shows, and the newsletters and bulletin boards that members can get the word to.
All of this comes together to produce
an educational and social experience that touches hundreds of people.
From these, we donate at
least 50% of the proceeds to a local non-profit group. Some past recipients have been The Gilbert Riparian Institute, the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and the
Desert Botanical Gardens.
Saturday
April 28, 2007
Cover Page_1 Page_2 Page_3 Map
Saturday
May 13, 2006
Check Out The Photo Gallery
Many thanks to the six hosts and hostesses of this year’s Pond Tour: Scott and Pat, Nancy and Henry, Laurie, Jeff and Lynn , Bill and Gay, and Lyle and Rosaly. The GPPS could not have made the tour happen without your wonderful assistance. The weather cooperated beautifully with lower than normal temperatures that facilitated attendance. The ponds on display demonstrated the diversity that can be obtained when ponds are constructed to reflect the dreams of their owners and the natural environment of their locations.
Thanks to Dan and Clyde and the great volunteers who worked with them to make this year’s tour a success.
The challenge for next year’s tour will
be to continue to stress diversity in the ponds and have a greater number
of ponds for people to tour. We look forward to a formal report on attendance
and revenue generated from Dan and Clyde at the June meeting. As usual,
suggestions on making this event even more meaningful in the future will
be appreciated.
Was held on Saturday, June 14th. There were six ponds in the northeast valley (northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale) on our tour! A portion of the proceeds was donated to benefit Trees For The Rim. Trees For The Rim is a restoration program for revegetation of the area in northeastern Arizona devastated by the Rodeo-Chediski Fire in June of 2002.
Our
2002 GPPS Pond Tour was dedicated to the memory of
Don Schloeder
Five
Central-Phoenix ponds were lined up for the June 9th tour! The route traveled
about 15 miles and is bounded by 35th Avenue, 68th Street, Northern and
Camelback Roads.
Our 2000 GPPS Pond Tour was
dedicated to the memory of
Sue Moyer
In 2000, one of the pond owners on the tour reported over 400 visitors to her pond alone! Overall, our membership forms were cleaned out, and we resorted to makeshift mailing lists for applications. At our next meeting, we welcomed 46 new households into the club! As had been previously voted upon by the membership, the Gilbert Riparian Institute was the recipient of our donation. In light of the great success of the Pond Tour and the health of our treasury balance, the membership voted to increase our donation to an even $1000.00!
We
hope to see you visiting or hosting a pond on our next tour!