Aquaculture Students Dive Into Campus Pond Cleanup

Lincoln University aquaculture students Antwaan Walker and Christian King search for trash and weeds in the Inman E. Page Library pond on May 6.

Three Lincoln University of Missouri (LU) aquaculture students set out in an inflatable boat to clean the Inman E. Page Library pond earlier this month.

The pond, located at the corner of Chestnut and Dunklin streets, lies beside the library with a stone retaining wall circling the perimeter. It is home to several aquatic animals, including grass carp, bass and turtles.

Around 1 p.m. on May 6, Aquaculture Manager Jacob Loesch drove to Inman E. Page Library with Antwaan Walker, Christian King and Kelvin Lacerda in tow.

Walker and King are undergraduate students, and Lacerda is a J1 Intern from Brazil. A J1 Internship is a visa given to research scholars and others to promote cultural exchange.

Lincoln University aquaculture students took to the water on May 6 to rid the Inman E. Page Library pond of trash and weeds.

The three students dragged the boat down the grassy hill from Dunklin Street and shoved off into the blue-hued pond.

Wearing life jackets and muck boots, the trio paddled around the pond’s perimeter, picking up any debris and getting out in the shallows to rip weeds out of the pond’s wall and shore.

Loesch had the idea to clean the pond after noticing trash blown into the water by high winds. He also thought it would be beneficial for LU students to see the aquaculture team working in person, as they spend much of their time away from the main campus.

Many students don’t realize LU has an aquaculture program, he said.

“I really just wanted people to come by and check out what we’re doing,” Loesch said.

Aquaculture student workers Antwaan Walker, Christian King and Kelvin Lacerda paddle along the perimeter wall of the Inman E. Page Library pond on May 6.

As Loesch supervised his student workers from the bridge leading to the library, a passing student approached him to ask what was going on.

Loesch explained the cleanup and chatted with the student, pointing out a bass guarding its nest and several grass carp swimming in the shade.

“I like to see that,” the student remarked.

In addition to keeping the pond visually appealing and safe for its inhabitants, Loesch said the cleanup was good boating practice for the student workers. Since the aquaculture ponds at LU’s George Washington Carver Farm are due for some renovations, Loesch and his team will travel to Southern Illinois University to work in its ponds over the summer.

Lincoln University aquaculture student Christian King leans over the side of a boat to pick weeds from the Inman E. Page Library pond’s wall on May 6.

Aquaculture collaborated with LU facilities to gain entrance to the pond, as they typically handle pond maintenance and cleaning.

Loesch said he is interested in the aquaculture program taking care of the pond more in the future, which would take work off the facilities team’s plate and present more hands-on opportunities for aquaculture student workers.

“I want to make this a thing that we do more often,” Loesch said.

For more information on LU aquaculture, visit https://www.lincolnu.edu/cooperative-extension-and-research/aquaculture-research/index.html.