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Letter: Where did Seneca Pond’s frogs go?

Seneca Pond
Submitted by Leonard Krakowiak |

Tahoe Daily Tribune’s recent article on the restoration efforts at Seneca Pond should have been titled “Destruction of Seneca Pond.” This is a classic example of a government bureaucracy and “The Forest Service”running wild and wasting our tax payer money. Their motto should be: “If we don’t spend it now we won’t have these funds next year.”

They cite some pseudo-scientific studies attempting to justify removal of the pond, which has been in existence for well over 50 years serving as a catch basin for silt and debris, and turn the area into a “mudflat” — which would be better defined as a swamp. I have attached a photo of the pond a few months after the fire that can be compared to the photo included in the article.

This was once a beautiful, serene stopping place when taking a walk or bike ride through the forest. Now think swamp.



The Forest Service has succeeded in constructing an ecological disaster waiting to happen. We’ve had below-average precipitation for a number of years, and by definition of “average” we should expect “above average” precipitation soon. All we need is one heavy rainstorm or heavy snowpack melt-off, similar to what occurred in the late 1980s and 90s, and the “restoration” will be washed into the Upper Truckee River. This includes all of the silt and debris that was trapped in Seneca Pond.

One of the main justifications was, “We wanted to remove the bullfrog population, so the best solution was the removal of the pond and wetland restoration.” What did they do with the frogs that were in the pond? These frogs are fast. How many moved upstream and how many downstream into the river?



Isn’t it about time that these “Forest Service” personnel be removed from their Taj Mahal offices and relocated to the various campgrounds in the area where they can help with the maintenance and much needed improvements?

Leonard Krakowiak

Meyers, Calif.


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