BOISE, Idaho — It's spring cleaning time at the Morrison and Knudsen Nature Center as the sturgeon pond gets cleaned out for the first time in 20 years.
It's a project overseen by Golden Enviro LLC. They are one of the only dredging companies in the northwest, and they are removing sediment, leaves and other debris from the pond.
"I kind of equate it to cleaning your aquarium," said Eric Anderson of Golden Enviro LLC. "We take out the biological silt that takes a lot of the oxygen out of the water, and the fish will like that."
It's not the only thing the fish have liked this week as the oldest sturgeon Frank, a six-foot long sturgeon that has been living in the pond since 2009, has taken a keen interest in the divers from Mountain West Commercial Diving.
"This sturgeon has its own character, and he’s very social," said Ben Bernier, one of the divers. "It’s constantly laying across your legs, cuddled up beside you and it’s always right there in your face when you are working. I've reached out to gently push it away, and it thought I was scratching the right spot, so he rolled over and leaned into me."
The dive team suctions out sediment from the bottom of the pond and it gets pumped out to the parking lot where Golden Enviro LLC. has a processing center set up in the parking lot. Idaho Fish and Game built this habitat 35 years ago, and they are excited to have it cleaned.
"Removing the sentiment from the pond is important for the fish and their habitat," said Sara Focht of Idaho Fish and Game. "It’s also important for our visitors to see the sturgeon and the trout, this project will help both of those things."
The MK Nature Center is a popular place for families; children also come here on field trips, and it provides a relaxing center near downtown Boise.
The divers found pacifiers, small electric fans, hair berets, cell phones, and all sorts of stuff in the pond. They even retrieved a child's glasses that he accidentally dropped from the viewing platform into the pond.
All the workers told me they really enjoyed working at the MK Nature Center and talking with all the people that visit this gem. However, more than anything they will miss the sturgeon when they finish up on Friday, but they are hoping to improve their home.
"They have certain swim patterns in here that we have noticed in the mud, we are making that up to four feet deeper in places and giving them a good channel swim around in," said Bernier. "I think that’s what they are excited about."
