Zac and Joey Gibson know one thing for sure: In nature, as in life, there’s more cooperation than competition, and nature will always try to right itself.
Since launching their company, Salamander Springs—which offers custom design services for homeowners wishing to add water features to their properties—the couple has learned to work harmoniously, and patiently, with flora and fauna. For those wishing to create a self-sufficient, sustainable backyard oasis, the Gibsons are eager to share their considerable skills.
Married for 31 years, Zac and Joey come by their knowledge of permaculture by way of personal experience. The pair purchased a Bloomington Ranch property in 2019, aiming to add a natural pool inspired by the bodies of water Zac had sloshed through in rural northern California as the child of a single dad.
“I spent a lot of time swimming,” Zac recalls. “But I didn’t like community pools that much, because of all the chemicals. I’d go out and catch frogs, snakes, lizards, and fish; there were so many beautiful ponds in that area, and I always wanted to have a property like that. So, 25 years ago, I decided to build a full-sized swimming pool to show people how to work with nature, and what’s possible.”
With a desire to create a pool that looked “like it had always been there, and the house was built around it,” Zac got to work on a back lot that was then filled with Bermuda grass. Shaping the land and bringing in rock, he carefully incorporated trees and structures, some of which had been on the property for four decades. Throughout the design, excavation and landscaping process, Zac and Joey scrupulously avoided the use of pesticides or other chemical compounds, employing composting and other natural fertilizers.
In May 2020, Salamander Springs—so named in honor of tiger salamanders, one of Zac’s favorite creatures—was filled for the first time. What followed seemed miraculous: Within days, 12 brand-new bird species, including owls, hawks and herons, made the site their home, many building nests in the trees shading the pool. Weeks later, hundreds of tree frogs took up residence.
“It was amazing to hear them during the mating season; at times the sound was almost deafening!” Zac says, laughing.
The next fall, the Gibsons reveled in the sight of monarch butterflies dotting the 15-year-old milkweed plants adjacent to the pool. Soon, the foliage was festooned with caterpillars from top to bottom. Joey started posting photos of the new residents on Facebook; in short order she was contacted by Utah Friends of Monarchs, a nonprofit that engages and educates state residents in the conservation of the beloved butterflies.
Says Joey, “I was asked what we’d done to attract the butterflies, and I said that we’d recently added the pool. They think that was the tipping point; the butterflies had water that wasn’t full of chemicals, and access to the minerals in the mud.
“We were also asked if we’d been certified as a Monarch Waystation; those are places that provide breeding areas for Monarchs as they migrate from the U.S. and Canada to Mexico during the winter,” Joey adds. “It turns out that we were already doing the things required for certification: We don’t cut our plants down during the winter, which helps the ‘pollinators,’ and the milkweed nectar provides a food source for the adult butterflies. Basically, we support every stage of the Monarchs’ lifecycle.”
Joey and Zac have turned their love for the most natural, intervention-free form of gardening into a thriving business, offering tours and classes at Salamander Springs. Joey just finished teaching a four-week course on sustainable gardening through Utah Tech’s Community Education program, focusing on using native plants and helping pollinators. For his part, Zac still loves nothing more than getting his hands dirty—and solving problems.
“A lot of the calls we get are about fixing something, whether it’s redoing a water feature that isn’t working properly or helping someone figure out what they can grow for food. We love to solve problems and help people!”
Zac adds that with sufficient time and patience, Mother Nature is a pretty good problem-solver herself. Case in point: Just days after first filling their pool, a large algae bloom appeared. The Gibsons pulled out much of the uninvited greenery, packing it around surrounding plants (Joey dubs algae “a great fertilizer”), then noticed that the fish they’d stocked in the pool were happily feasting on the remaining bloom. Within a week, the water began to clear, and has remained so ever since.
In our experience, nature always tries to right itself,” Joey confirms. “As humans we always want everything to happen right now; to be more immediate in fixing problems. Nature doesn’t work that way.”
“We want people to fall in love with nature,” Zac concludes. “We’re trying to create healthy communities with nature and people; to bring people together in a common cause. We believe that’s what we all need to do, to create a better world.”
For more information about Salamander Springs, or to schedule a tour, visit salamandersprings.co.
Beyond That Prickly Pear Cactus
Perhaps surprisingly, southern Utah residents have abundant gardening options. Salamander
Springs proprietors suggest adding these native plants; in addition to their beauty, many have
the added benefit of attracting birds, bees, butterflies and other creatures:
Sumac
Milkweed
Mint
Sage
Elderberry
Silverberry
Mesquite
Creosote bush
“We’re trying to create healthy communities with nature and people, to bring
people together in a common cause.” – Zac Gibson