Art Village Pond

North Fork construction is moving fast! Right now we are talking about reservation prices for the different villages and buildings. But that's not the topic of today's blog post.

Today I want to tell you about the new ducks in the pond by the arts village. Yes, they may LOOK like real, live ducks, but take a closer look, and you will see that they do not, in fact, move. They actually mark the places where the air pump that is connected to the wind mill (you will see in the picture). This generates air flow throughout the pond, making it healthier for the fish to live in it. Kind of like a giant fish tank :) - ttfn - Samantha

Animals and Oak Hammock

So the last O.A.C meeting was pretty cool. I don't exactly remember what happened in the actual meeting part. Just a bunch of technical talk. Then when we went out on the tour, we saw animals. We went to the Arts village, I believe, and while we were over there, we saw turkeys. There were probably around 5 maybe 7. They were hopping the silt fencing. Then near the site manager's house, we saw deer. We were in the golf cart and all of a sudden one deer pops out of the woods and runs to the other side of the road. Then another deer, and another. I counted about 8 deer. We saw squirrels obviously, too.

Near the Oak Hammock - that's what we're calling this area south of one of the ponds - there was a little bunny that was blending in with the grass and dirt - I almost didn't notice it! That whole Oak Hammock area is so beautiful. There's trees and a fire pit and benches, and SPACE.

It'd be the perfect place to go camping. AND one of the ponds is almost right across the street so you could go fishing too. The best time to fish is either when the water has mist over it, when it's about to rain, or dawn and dusk. Anyway, well I'll stop babbling now.

Talk to ya'll later. -Samantha S.

We're Good To Grow!

A major milestone - North Fork construction project has passed inspection by the Clay County Fire Department, and we're good to grow! The test was to ensure that the hydrants connected to the new pond by the Arts Village are working properly. The pump truck is drawing water from the pond, which would be used in case of fire during construction.



Success! Now we can start "going vertical" as they say in the construction biz. Let's build!

Pond Expansion

The existing pond (#2) is currently being drained to a level where the expansion can be accomplished. You can see it is going to be a beautiful space when it is complete - and we can bring our fish back home!

North Fork Taking Shape in Clay County

Aerial View of Construction at North Fork 
August 2009

It's all about the Infrastructure!  

While the girls are busy at school, the crew at Dana B. Kenyon and their many subcontractors have been busy getting North Fork ready to enjoy for generations to come!

Infrastructure - the roads, ponds, parking areas, plumbing, foundations, etc. are being put into place as we get ready to "go vertical" with buildings!  

Work continues on the main entrance - it's going to be a beautiful drive into camp! 

The pool gutters are in place.  The area around the pool is cleared - as you look at the aerial photo you can almost see where the buildings will be! It's such an exciting time for all of us watching your new camp take shape out here! 

The drip irrigation field is done - you'd never guess all that is under the ground there. The water treatment area is taking shape - all cleared and ready for the foundation to be poured.

The storm drainage system is being built out too - and ponds are being dug throughout the property. They may not look like much now, but when they are in place they will be breathtakingly beautiful spaces where generations of girls will learn to fish and skim stones.

At the Fishing Village, the foundation footers for the restroom and are about ready to be poured.  The A-Frame is gone and crews are ready to pour concrete slabs where the cabins will be. Renovations are taking place at the main house too, getting it ready to be part of the Fishing Village unit.

The Arts Village is starting to take shape! They have starting laying brick and pouring concrete for the activity centers there.

Want to help? Individuals and troops can still purchase a commemorative Brick Paver or have your name engraved on a bench at the Amphitheater - contact Linda Hull for details. Engrave your name in history at North Fork!

Thanks to everyone involved in helping North Fork blossom and grow into the camp we envisioned years ago when the Master Site Plan was developed with the help of girls, volunteers and staff. Stay tuned to this blog for more notes and pics!

Here Fishy Fishy...

Hello - I’m Carolyn Veres - I’m with troop 164 and I’m part of the Orange Park service unit. I went to North Fork on the 11^th of August to help out with the pond that is in the beginning of camp right at the entrance. What they wanted us to do is get all - well most - of the fish out of the pond so they can make it bigger.

The way we had to get them I thought would hurt the fish, but the Wildlife Conservation group said that 95% of the fish would be safe from the electrical shock. Now I’m not that smart on fish stuff, but I thought they would die!

After they said it won’t hurt them, we all got into groups of two so one of us would work the pedal that would shock the fish and one it catch them with a net and them put the fish in a bucket that was right behind them.

It was fun but very slow waiting for the fish to come up to the surface, but we got them.

We keep that up for about 4 hours - man was that hot and tiring - but after we got most of the fish out of the pond and measured, weighed and recorded them.

We were able to take them to Camp Chowenwaw Park where they will live for a little bit until the new pond is ready for them.

It was a fun thing to do! I felt very happy that I got to help out with the construction of the camp. I can’t wait for the camp to be all the way done!

Types of Fish in the Pond

This is a Grass Carp. The grass carp is actually one of the largest members of the minnow family. The back of the grass carp is silvery to dark grey, and the sides of the body are lighter with a slightly golden sheen. The belly is silvery white. Fins are generally greenish-grey. The fish has relatively large scales. Teeth have been replaced by specialized structures called pharyngeal teeth located in the back of the throat. These are used for tearing and grinding plant matter.

This is a Bream. (Abramis brama), common European food and game fish of the carp family, Cyprinidae, found in lakes and slow rivers. The bream lives in schools and eats worms, mollusks, and other small animals. It is deep bodied, with flat sides and a small head, and is silvery with a bluish or brown back.

These are some of the many species that have to be either released or relocated to the new pond. We need to move them during the expansion of the pond. This task will need great effort and it will be expensive. They're doing all they can to save the marine animals though! - Samantha S.

Report From the OAC Meeting

Hey, this is Samantha S. -

This is the building where I met the North Fork contractors at my first OAC meeting! OAC stands for Owners / Architect / Contractor.

From the looks of the plans, North Fork should be ready faster than you think, and that's a good thing! Soon enough there will be a pool, a fishing village, an arts village, health center, and more. They're planning on expanding one of the ponds - and in order to do that they need to relocate the fish!

Definitely more to come next week! - Samantha S.

New Ponds and Arrival Center

Making way for the new Arrival Center! Notice the two different types of dumpsters. One is for metal and one for wood. This helps us recycle as much construction waste as possible.

This is where one of the new ponds will be - it may not look like much now, but you can bet it will be beautiful when North Fork opens next year!

Let the Construction Begin!

Usina Contractors have placed silt fencing around the property.
The silt fence is designed to keep the soil on the construction site from washing into the pond or creek and causing water pollution.