NATURAL ELEMENTS by design

02/08/2026

🌿 New Project Reveal: A Sanctuary Oasis 🌿
We are incredibly honored to share our latest habitat creation for Foster Parrots Ltd. and The New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary right here in Hopkinton, RI! 🦜🐢

This custom-designed indoor pond will soon be the forever home for 15 Red-Eared Sliders and Painted Turtles. When designing for these specific species, we don’t just look at the aesthetics—we think about their natural behaviors, safety, and health.

Design Highlights:
Natural Basking Zones: Large, textured fieldstones and moss-covered logs provide the perfect spots for turtles to regulate their temperature.

Dynamic Triple Waterfall & Fogger: A gentle flow and misty atmosphere to maintain humidity and keep the environment enriching.

Living Greenery: From lush ferns to hardy palms, we’ve selected flora that mimics a thriving, wild ecosystem.

At Natural Elements by Design, our mission is to bridge the gap between you and your natural surroundings. We loved every minute of thinking through the habitat needs of these animals to ensure they have a stimulating, beautiful life at the sanctuary.

A huge thank you to the team at Foster Parrots Ltd. and The New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary for the amazing work they do for exotic animals. We can’t wait to see the new residents move in!

02/05/2026

02/05/2026

Turtle Pond Oasis for ! Love the way this came out. This pond will support 15 rescue turtles currently at the sanctuary. A mix of red eared sliders and painted. We designed a robust system that has a ton of biological and mechanical filtration to keep up with the messy turtles. Just as important, we wanted to recreate nature- environmental enrichment opportunities to crawl, climb, swim, dig, explore! It’s so important to learn about the animals we build for and their unique needs. It helps their well being 💯. We also added a mini ecosystem of critters to complement the beneficial bacteria… I’ll post another video with those details later.

02/02/2026

it's freaking cold. BUT there is something magical about it ❄️ (btw this pond is completely iced over except for a small hole - which is important for gas exchange so the fish don't die)

01/28/2026

Today was all about doing this the right way. With limited entry access, we decided to set up a gantry crane so we can safely sling and place rocks that weigh a couple hundred pounds up and over a 42” wall. No shortcuts, no wrecked backs…just smart rigging and patience. Old school. The electric hoist was nice 😊

By the end of the day, a few plants were tucked in, pond walls beginning to take shape… Still early, but the bones of this turtle pond are getting into place. 🐢💙💪

12/15/2025

First snow of the season in Rhode Island.

12/09/2025

Was going through some photos and dug up this beauty at a stunning property in East Lyme, CT. What a beautiful woodland stream with waterfall cascades (over *I think* 100ft) into an earthen bottom pond. Final photo with planting is taken by Alan Alan R. Ahlstrom, Landscape Architect. Alan was the LA and vision on this. Other pics are progress shots. Build was taken on by Aquascapes of CT a few years back. Always a fun time :)