From the Washington Park Profile (Paul Kashmann):
Born as remains of a once-active gravel pit that provided material for local road beds as well as fill for the Valley Highway (I-25), the pond and surrounding habitat that exists today was the 1980s brainchild of the late Merle Grimes. As a UCD graduate student in landscape design, Grimes had the idea for an ecological education park that would bring together a broad range of Colorado’s eco-zones in one location.
In 1986, having taken a position with the Greenway Foundation, Grimes put his ideas into action, spearheading creation of the Overland Pond habitat that would become the first natural area reclamation project along the Platte River Greenway.
Today, locals of all ages relax around the pond, fishing, listening to the birds and hoping to get a glimpse of the variety of other wildlife – fox, beaver, skunk, snakes, raccoons and turtles – that call the area home.
Fulfilling Grimes’ original mission, thousands of local students visit the pond each year. SPREE, the educational arm of the Platte River Greenway Foundation, brings all Denver Public Schools 5th graders either to nearby Grant Frontier Park or Overland Pond Park each year, and other school districts in the area make use of the pond for a variety of environmental programs.
More South Platte River basin coverage here.