Abigail Derkson/ Winonan

Every spring, Lauren’s Pond, located on the side of the Performing Arts Center near Somsen Hall, welcomes back more than 100 fish.

General repair worker Scott Engler enjoys the pond because of what it stands for: a green campus.

The pond, built from primarily private donations, is named after previous president Darrell Krueger’s wife Lauren.

“Dr. Krueger was very into this campus to keep it green,” Engler said. “He would walk through campus and say, ‘Hey, we need to get this fixed, we need to get that fixed.’ He was very into keeping the campus beautiful.”

Facilities work hard to keep the campus beautiful, but they are also responsible for caring for the fish in the summer. In the spring and summer months, the pond is home to three koi fish and more than 100 types of goldfish.

In mid-October, when the cold weather makes a more permanent appearance, workers drain the pond and relocate the fish to their winter home. When spring comes, workers must clean garbage, leaves, mud and grime from the pond to welcome back the fish.

From October to April, the fish take a hiatus from the public eye, as they are kept under the care of biology professor Neal Mundahl. The fish are kept in the aquatics lab in the basement of Pasteur Hall. While the public cannot view the fish during these months, primarily because of research purposes, Mundahl enjoys the work.

“I just enjoy keeping them healthy until they can return to their outside pond,” Mundahl said. “Every summer, the goldfish produce more young while in the pond, so there are always a variety of older and new, young fish to care for indoors.”

During the winter, the fish eat floating pellet food two to three times a week. In the summer, the diet of the fish is more varied. Winona residents have been known to feed the fish. They eat various plants, algae and other food in the pond.

“We don’t feed the fish in the summer,” Engler said. “Day care does. They give them a jar of food and kids come over from day care every day and feed the fish. They have them named also. It’s very nice.”

The fish are not the only inhabitants for the pond. According to Engler, ducks have also been known to swim in the pond.

“They have a nest and when they hatch, the young ones go into the pond,” Engler said. “We’ve had problems in the past where they’ll get in there and don’t make it overnight because they can’t swim that long. So if you see a 2×4, tell all your friends to leave it in there. It’s for the ducks to get in and out.”

Facilities expect the pond to be finished and ready to welcome the fish back soon.