Two years ago, the pond at Hoyt Farm Park, and all of its inhabitants, were close to eviction when the park’s water bill became overwhelming for the Town of Smithtown to afford.
Before last year, the pond received water from Suffolk County Water Authority. The tap water however, was both racking up large water bills, and filling the pond with chlorinated water, which posed a potential risk to the pond’s wildlife.
The park’s managers had two choices: either let the pond dry up, or find a solution.
“Without that pond, there would be a serious decline for wildlife here. The pond is a regular stop for migratory birds. It was important for us to save it,” Sheryl Brook, who runs the farm along with manager Jeff Gumin, said.
They pair came up with the idea to build a well, but they weren’t sure how to come up with the money to pay for it. Brook scoured her resources and applied for a ZBGA (zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums) grant through New York State’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation.
In 2011, the state awarded $15,000 to the Town of Smithtown, which operates the park, to build a well supplying groundwater to the man-made pond. The well was implemented the following year.
Today, the water is both chlorine-free and supplied naturally, which makes it a happy place for pond’s wildlife, such as painted turtles, bullfrogs, ducks, large-mouth bass and bluegills to live.
The town is in the process of receiving an additional $15,000 state grant to complete the project, which will include a program to explain to visitors the benefits of supplying the pond with natural water.
That money will also be used to install solar panels onto the park’s Nature Center. Gumin and Brook originally wanted to have the solar panels placed on the Hoyt Farm House, but due to it’s historic significance, they weren’t able to make any modern changes to the property. The Nature Center, however, did meet requirements for the solar panel installation.
Once in place, the well will be powered by the solar energy received from the Nature Center.
“We’re trying to go as green as possible,” Gumin said.
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