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.”…