Julie Partansky Pond

This boardwalk looks like something out of Myst

Julie Partansky Pond (formerly the North Area Drainage Pond) is next to Northstar Park, near the intersection of Anderson Rd. and F St. It is located within what is sometimes called the Northstar Greenbelt. It was officially renamed, by unanimous vote, from "North Area Drainage Pond" on 2009-11-17 by the City Council to honor the late Julie Partansky. Here is material on the renaming.

These are located in one of the storm water retention basins that the City of Davis has constructed. To get there, take F street north from Covell Boulevard for 0.8 mile. At the intersection of F street and Anderson Road, turn west and park in the parking lot next to the pond. There are paths, and a boardwalk has been constructed into the lake to a viewing platform.

Julie Partansky Pond is functionally a storm water retention area, but it is also a lovely site to watch native birds. A few of the birds that you might see here include (in taxonomic order): Canada goose , wood duck, mallard, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, bufflehead, hooded merganser, pied-billed grebe, double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, green heron, black-crowned night-heron, turkey vulture, northern harrier, Cooper's hawk, Swainson's hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, sora, common moorhen, American coot, killdeer, American avocet, spotted sandpiper, greater yellowlegs, Wilson's snipe, gull sp., mourning dove, barn owl, Anna's hummingbird, Nuttall's woodpecker, northern flicker, western scrub-jay, yellow-billed magpie, American crow, violet-green swallow, cliff swallow, American robin, yellow-rumped warbler, song sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, red-winged blackbird, Brewer's blackbird, and house finch. Non-native birds include starlings, rock doves (pigeons), and European sparrows.

Unfortunately, the park area near the ponds are planted with Chinese tallowtrees, which are invasive species. Each winter, seeds from the trees at Northstar Park are washed into the ponds and germinate, and are forming dense thickets that are preventing the birds from being able to move easily in the ponds. A few times citizen volunteers removed (with city permission and participation) all the tallowtrees from the ponds, but these volunteers were unable to remove the largest of the plants. At this point, without bringing in major landmoving equipment, the only way to remove these plants would be by a careful and selective application of herbicide. City officials have promised to do so, but as yet have not fulfilled their pledge. Tallowtrees at the site are now up to 20' tall.

Herbicide spraying is done along the bike path on the northwest and southwest sides of the pond. This image shows where.

There are currently otters in the Pond, they come up the canal from the East. They also hit the cyclone fence and go foraging in the overflow pond!

Fishing is not allowed, unless you are an otter.

Pictures from Julie Partansky Pond

Canada geese takeoff A lone great egret North Area Pond Click the image to read this sign!