Piccheti Pond, known to us at work simply as "the pond," hasn't been a pond since last Winter. Right now it is a concave meadow. Sadly, it is now home to quite a number of gravid California Newts. I witnessed a number of them emerging from holes under the dry grass out in what should have been the middle of the pond. Unless the rainy season kicks into high gear, there will be no pond for any of the local amphibians (there are also Western Toads and Pacific Tree Frogs nearby) to lay their eggs in. Yet another of nature's little tragedies. Perhaps some of the amphibians will find their way down to some other body of water. There are creeks and a reservoir nearby.
I took my group of kids up there today, and they had a good time exploring. We got to hang out for awhile with one of the other field classes. The area with the newts had a constant crowd of kids around it.
On the way back to camp, I saw a Coyote. About half of my group got to see it before it vanished in the trees up the slope.
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