Bernie's advice

Ponds need a few basic things to stay healthy or to become healthy. Clean water is very important because animals and plants cannot live in polluted water.
Animals and plants that are not native or indigenous should not be introduced.
A healthy habitat provides plenty of food and shelter for native animals.
Domestic animals like dogs and cats can kill native animals, they can also pollute the habitat when their owners do not clean up their droppings.

Pond actions menu

You can make many choices when you are cleaning up a pond. Select each picture to see which one you wish to add to or remove from the pond. Select Choose to make the change.

Dog exercise area

Bernie's feedback

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You can make many choices when you are cleaning up a pond. Select each picture to see which one you wish to add to or remove from the pond. Select Choose to make the change.

Certified Pond Restorer

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In recognition of their excellent skills in:

Restoring Old Bernie's Pond to its full health

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Glossary

Cane toad

The cane toad is an animal introduced to Australia from Hawaii to eat sugar cane beetles. In Australia, there are few predators or animals that eat cane toads. They are very poisonous; native animals that eat cane toads die.

Carp

Carp are freshwater fish introduced to Australia from Asia or Europe. Carp take over and change freshwater habitats and make the water muddy.

Environment

The environment is the world which affects our survival. For people, the environment includes air, water, weather, roads, buildings and all of our surroundings.

Fish symbols

A fish symbol is a shape that looks like a fish. Fish symbols or dolphin symbols are often painted near drains to remind people that whatever is put into drains ends up in rivers or the sea.

Habitat

The natural home of plants and animals. Animals eat, sleep and breed in their habitat.

Indigenous

Plants and animals that are indigenous (native) belong naturally in an environment. They are not brought in or introduced from somewhere else.

Introduce

To introduce a plant or animal is to bring it into a habitat that it does not normally belong in.

Introduced

Introduced plants or animals do not occur naturally in an environment. They have been brought in through human activities.

Native plants

Plants that are native (indigenous) belong naturally in an environment. They are not brought in or introduced from somewhere else. Adding more of these plants to restore a habitat is sometimes called planting 'natives'.

Pollute

To pollute is to introduce too much of a certain substance in a particular area. Sometimes pollution can cause an environment to be unhealthy, and some chemical pollutants can be poisonous. Pollution changes the chemical balance in an ecosystem so that plants and animals can become sick or die.

Polluted

When an environment is polluted, the chemical balance has been changed. When this happens, plants and animals living in the polluted environment can become sick or die.

Seeds

A plant seed is the start of a new plant that has not yet begun to grow. It has a covering that protects it. A seed can be a nut, berry, fruit or pod. It contains some food which helps a new plant to start growing and sprout leaves.

Symbol

A symbol is a shape that stands for something else. For example a "+" plus symbol means to add numbers together.

Symbols

Symbols are shapes that stand for something else. For example a "+" plus symbol means to add numbers together.

Tadpole

A tadpole is an early stage in a frog or toad's life. Tadpoles grow legs then slowly grow into adult frogs or toads.

Tadpoles

Tadpoles are an early stage in a frog or toad's life. Tadpoles grow legs then slowly grow into adult frogs or toads.

Waterways

Waterways are channels which move water around our environment. Some examples of waterways are: streams, rivers and drains.