The Ups and Downs of Panther Hollow Lake

Panther Hollow Lake covered in duckweed showing trails of ducks made while eating, 24 Sep 2026 (photo by Kate St. John) 15 November 2026 Panther Hollow Lake in Schenley Park has many issues induced by its shallowness and slow moving water. It’s been covered in duckweed and filamentous algae for more than a year and there was a fish kill in June 2025. This summer the duckweed overtook the algae; the pond-sized lake was always green. Mallards ate their way through the duckweed making trails on the surface (above). Beginning this summer Panther Hollow Lake has had: Lots of duckweed; not much filamentous algae Mallards and sometimes Canada geese are the only water birds Low oxygen and no fish (as far as I can tell). No fish-eating birds such as belted kingfisher and great blue heron. These species only stop at Panther Hollow Lake on migration. The last belted kingfisher was May 2025. The last great blue heron was May 2026. The something odd began to happen. In the past 3-4 months the…

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