https://www.thedodo.com/in-the-wild/duck-ramps-capitol-pool
Thanks to the addition of a pair of duck ramps, newly hatched ducklings can now join their parents who've taken up residence in the Capitol Reflecting Pool, on the National Mall. The ramps were designed by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), in partnership with the nonprofit City Wildlife, to help the feathered babies get up and over a wall that's too high for them to jump.
"The broad gently sloped limestone coping of the pool, however, has an unintended side effect for our feathered friends," the AOC's Erin Courtney said in a release. "Some ducklings have trouble climbing out of the pool or returning to it once out of the water."
Thanks to the new ramps, that's all a thing of the past.
While the initiative has been met with resounding praise, at least one U.S. congressman has spoken out against it, calling the new ramps an example of "government waste."
The cost of the ramps' construction has not been disclosed, but given that such a simple design is making life better for a few local ducklings, it was most certainly worth it.
Thanks to the addition of a pair of duck ramps, newly hatched ducklings can now join their parents who've taken up residence in the Capitol Reflecting Pool, on the National Mall. The ramps were designed by the Architect of the Capitol (AOC), in partnership with the nonprofit City Wildlife, to help the feathered babies get up and over a wall that's too high for them to jump.
"The broad gently sloped limestone coping of the pool, however, has an unintended side effect for our feathered friends," the AOC's Erin Courtney said in a release. "Some ducklings have trouble climbing out of the pool or returning to it once out of the water."
Thanks to the new ramps, that's all a thing of the past.
While the initiative has been met with resounding praise, at least one U.S. congressman has spoken out against it, calling the new ramps an example of "government waste."
The cost of the ramps' construction has not been disclosed, but given that such a simple design is making life better for a few local ducklings, it was most certainly worth it.
