Blog
January 8, 2018
Buckhorn Inn Pond Enhancements Continue
If you have been following the Buckhorn Inn on social media, you know we have been devoting much time and energy to being good caretakers of the pond on our nature trail. This past summer we released grass carp into the pond to help us optimize the plant growth. We also added a foundation. The fountain not only is beautiful and provides soothing noise for visitors, but it also helps us maintain the good health of the water.
A more recent project has been the removal of fallen trees around the pond. Kevin Howard with Rex Howard’s Landscaping came up with a clever way to manage this work. In Buckhorn Inn’s 80 years there have been few days when it was cold enough to freeze Buckhorn Pond enough to support about a dozen large men, but this winter was one for the records. We had contracted with the firm to clear dead trees and debris on the side of the pond next to busy Buckhorn Road. Rather than trying to clear this area from the roadside, Kevin had his men pile logs and debris on a heavy tarp and pull it across the frozen ice to the other side where it could be more easily loaded on trucks. One of the fellows was assigned to sweep up all the debris from the ice–we expect him to go out for the U.S. curling team for the next Winter Olympics after all that practice!
Our pond rarely freezes solid, but Mother Nature picked a perfect time for this cold snap!
We are so pleased with the work thus far. The next step will be installing some beautiful plantings that will provide screening from busy Buckhorn Road and add to the natural beauty of this space. We will be adding native trees, bushes, and plants that will be at home in this environment. Our spring-fed pond will become an even more special place to enjoy your sack lunch, read a book, and enjoy the quiet beauty of nature.
Swans to Return to Buckhorn Pond
We know that many of you have expressed how much you miss the swans that used to grace Buckhorn Pond. We have good news! Innkeeper Lee presented John with two swans for Christmas! The swans are coming from North Barrington, Illinois. They cannot safely be shipped by plane until the weather warms up, so we look forward to their arrival this spring. We are working on setting up our “swan cam” so that you can monitor the activities of this pair from anywhere! In our January newsletter we will provide additional information on this pair and how we are preparing for them. Be sure to read the article for additional information!
October 2, 2017
Carp-e Diem! New Denizens of Buckhorn Pond
Have you visited Buckhorn Pond? The spring-fed pond was created after Douglas Bebb built a dam there in the early 1950’s. The pond was designed with an ingenious overflow to protect the dam during heavy rains. Bass, carp and perch make their home here, as well as frogs, turtles and a few snakes. The brilliantly-colored wood duck, spotted sandpiper, heron, and other water fowl are attracted here.
Buckhorn Pond is home to fish, amphibians, and water fowl.
We are responsible caretakers of our property, and invited a representative from the Tennessee Department of Natural Resources to review Buckhorn Pond and provide advice. He told us that our water and surrounding area is in excellent shape! His only recommendation was that a species of carp, the grass carp, could help us more easily maintain optimum levels of water plants.
Grass Carp Released in Pond
Our research revealed that the local farmers’ co-op is visited about once a month by a truck selling live fish. We went there on “fish truck day” and purchased six 12″-long triploid grass carp. The size was important as the naturalist told us if they were too small they could be eaten by the bass, and if they were done growing, they would not eat many water plants.
Six grass carp were released into Buckhorn Pond.
Innkeeper John and daughter-in-law Sharon took the large plastic bags filled with water and carp down to the pier. They “tempered” the fish by adding water from the pond to the bags until the temperatures equaled. Then they lowered the bags into the water and let the fish swim out. They report the fish looked happy in their new home!
The grass carp is a large, herbivorous, fresh-water fish. It is used as a food fish in China, but in the United States and Europe used mainly for controlling aquatic weeds. The use of these fishy friends lessens use of herbicides. The fish live up to 11 years and eat three times their weight in vegetation daily. They grow rapidly, as much as 10 inches in a summer. The average length of a fully-grown grass carp is around 30″. The grass carp are sterile and will not produce young in our pond.
For more information on stocking ponds, visit http://tn.gov/twra/article/fish-for-stocking.
November 26, 2010
Romance of the Swans
-
- Teller won’t be lonely too much longer.
-
- Teller won’t be lonely for too much longer.
As many of you know, our darling female swan Pen was slain last May protecting her nest of eggs. Her mate Teller was distraught after her death as swans usually mate for life. However, we are advised that enough time has passed for him to accept a new mate and we have selected a beauty for him and christened her Pentu. She is set to arrive by plane the second week of December and we are hoping theirs will be a marriage made in Buckhorn Pond. You can keep up with the news of their courtship on Facebook, on our Blog ( www.buckhorninn.com/blog), or follow our tweets (YES! We now twitter.)
Gatlinburg Weather
Click for weather forecast