On the morning of Wednesday, Sept. 3, students eagerly gathered around the refurbished University of New Mexico Duck Pond to hear from the board of administration as they unveiled the newly finished construction project. UNM pins and duck-shaped sugar cookies were given away to attendees.
UNM President Garnett Stokes addressed the crowd by acknowledging the land’s indigenous history, as well as the tradition that is a result of UNM’s duck pond.
“I don't think it's an overstatement to say that the Duck Pond is UNM,” Stokes said.
For 50 years now, UNM’s Duck Pond has served as a spot to recharge in between classes, create memories with new friends, study, or end a long night out, Stokes said.
“Its a place where members of our community come to take wedding photos, to feed the ducks — but hopefully not grab — or to simply lounge in the grass and enjoy the beauty of a rural oasis in the middle of an urban campus,” Stokes said.
Teresa Costantinidis, the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, said she hears about the duck pond most frequently from alumni, and that everyone seems to have a memory from the pond “connecting the past and the present.”
“This is a place where generations of Lobos have joyfully met new friends, celebrated accomplishments loudly, or quietly studied in the shade. It’s a place where family and staff can take a moment to recharge at the end, or even the middle, of a long day, it's a place where members of our community come to take wedding photos, to feed the ducks,” Constantinidis said.
Angelica Cruz, a student at UNM, said her favorite part about coming to the Duck Pond is listening to the water flow.
“I come here to study, or even sometimes to just de-stress, and it helps a lot,” Cruz said.
Cruz said she hopes to see some ducks at the Duck Pond soon.
“That’s like my big wish because I love animals,” she said.
The pond has been known to provide a home to numerous turtles, ducks, birds and other wildlife that has passed through campus.
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Although the ducks are not currently inhabiting the pond, UNM Newsroom says the University’s wildlife consultant expects that wild ducks will return naturally over time.
A freshman at UNM, Joaquin Armijo, also said he is waiting for the wildlife to return to campus.
“It's a little weird because I know they're letting the ducks come back naturally,” Armijo said. “It's reopened, but it also feels unfinished because the ducks aren't here.”
The goal of the renovation was to improve ecological sustainability and to improve safety and accessibility in the areas surrounding the duck pond, according to UNM Newsroom.
The new design improved the water by implementing modern biofilters and a UV treatment system to eliminate algae and microorganisms that could potentially harm the ecosystem, according to UNM Newsroom. Perimeters of the pond were also widened to increase accessibility to those using mobility-aids.
New benches were also placed where the original benches once surrounded the pond, as well as new seating added near Mitchell Hall, by the end of September, according to UNM Newsroom.
“Renovation at this pond is nothing new, but this restoration is somewhat different in that it honors our past by deliberately reflecting the best of Garret Eckbo’s original designs and intentions,” Stokes said.
The Duck Pond, designed by Garret Eckbo, was completed in 1976, , according to the UNM Alumni Association. There was a dormitory and parking lot there, which were demolished to make room for the landscape. The design was open concept, and did not originally have the trees and bushes that surround and make the pond now, Stokes said. Editors of the Daily Lobo at the time, referred to it as “the concrete pond”.
Gael Soto, a student at UNM, said he has always loved visiting the Duck Pond.
“Now that it's renovated I want to be here more, because I did miss it when it was closed down,” Soto said.
Soto said that sometimes he and his friends like to hammock near the trees by the waterfall.
“Honestly, I kind of miss the bridge that they used to have,” Soto said. “Obviously it looks more stable and modern, but I really loved when you’d walk across and you’d hear the creaking of the wood.”
The Duck Pond was one of the first places Costantinidis was encouraged to visit at UNM, and after she did, she realized why, she said.
“It has a feeling about it. You can sense that it has been part of countless stories. A place where people have laughed, studied, and celebrated,” Costantinidis said.
Lexis Lovato is a beat reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @lovatolexis
