New ponds

   / New ponds #1  

Birdbrain

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2008
Messages
35
Location
Slower Lower Delaware (Sussex Co.)
Tractor
Kubota L3400, Farmall A
Hello,
Here some pics of 2 of the 6 new ponds on my property, completed this month. These were hired out (all the work was done with 2 dozers by the local Conservation District). This is the big first step in converting almost my entire 50 acres to habitat.

Lots more fun to come this spring and summer! :D

Glen
 

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   / New ponds #2  
What's the depth of those ponds?
 
   / New ponds
  • Thread Starter
#3  
The first picture is a shallow excavation, 6-12" deep in the water. It may get 2.5' it when it gets really wet.

The second picutre is a deeper pond formed by a dike. It is probably 4' deep at it deepest. Similar depth of water now.
 
   / New ponds #4  
Knight9 said:
What's the depth of those ponds?

I was wondering to, that first one looks like someone on the dozer just couldn't get it quite flat enough.
 
   / New ponds #5  
Obvious marsh/shallow water type habitat for many different bird species.
 
   / New ponds
  • Thread Starter
#6  
wushaw said:
Obvious marsh/shallow water type habitat for many different bird species.

Exactly. It was a large, low and very flat spot to begin with and the work accentuated that a little. Basically they stripped the topsoil down to the underlying clay, put back a few inches of topsoil so stuff will grow and shaped the spoils. I get to keep it open by mowing or disking. That will be the muddy area use for soon to be purchased tractor.
 
   / New ponds #7  
Interesting.

Is there any concern that once those ponds become wetlands and habitat, that you might lose control of them to the government? I know that in some states, once an area is officially named a wetland, you lose certain rights to it and can actually get into allot of trouble if you build or modify either the wetland itself, or the area around it.

If there is no government issues, I think it's an awesome thing to do. Ducks Unlimited has just about turned the bird population around by convincing farmers and both the Canadian and US Governements to give tax credits to those farmers for doing the exact same thing. Those small, shallow, seasonal ponds are critical for all sorts of habitat. They are also easy to fill in and turn to farm land, so it's why they disapeared so quickly. Now that Ducks Unlimited has had such tremendous success with the creation of those small ponds, the bird populations are way up again!!!

Please keep us updated on your ponds and the wildlife they bring in. I've noticed tremendous activity around my ponds and it just seems to get better all the time. We see birds using it that we've never seen before and tracks from all sorts of critters, both big and small. Soon, I'm going to set up a game camera along the shoreline to see if I have a beaver using it. Something is climbing up from the creek and crossing my dam at the same spot all the time. It's created a trail and a slide that's pretty easy to see. We're just not positive what it is, but I think it's a beaver. My FIL thinks it's a Nutria. We'll see when I set up the game camera.

Good luck with your plans,
Eddie
 
   / New ponds #8  
Birdbrain said:
Exactly. It was a large, low and very flat spot to begin with and the work accentuated that a little. Basically they stripped the topsoil down to the underlying clay, put back a few inches of topsoil so stuff will grow and shaped the spoils. I get to keep it open by mowing or disking. That will be the muddy area use for soon to be purchased tractor.

Ahhh, I thought about that but didn't notice any natural water supply to keep them wet. 12" of water in the summer around here without rain won't last very long. And that's in some humid summer air.

Some of the big lakes lose an inch a day.

Keep the pics updated as it grows up.

Rob
 
   / New ponds
  • Thread Starter
#9  
As far as the water supply, this area was never better than mrginal farmland. Some years it will flood and ruin the crop or it too wet in the spring to plant. It will hold water in the winter/spring until maybe mid-May. The rest of the year was dependent on large storms like a hurricane or the 15" in 8 hours that we got in June '06. I hope that the new ponds will hold water for more of the year, but do not really expect them to be permenant. I would be great if I have water in the fall to bring in some ducks.

As far as the gov't, the state holds a 10-yr easement in return for funding the project. At the end I can do as I please. I believe it has something to do with the areas being classified as farmed wetlands that were wet a certain part of the year, but still farmed. It could revert to that use. But it is a moot point as I have no plans whatsoever to do that.

Eddie, hope you do not have nutria. The Maryland DNR has removed them from Chesapeake Bay marshes because of the habitat they had destoyed.
 
   / New ponds #10  
EddieWalker said:
Something is climbing up from the creek and crossing my dam at the same spot all the time. It's created a trail and a slide that's pretty easy to see. We're just not positive what it is, but I think it's a beaver. My FIL thinks it's a Nutria. We'll see when I set up the game camera.
Eddie

Eddie,

Better act fast and get rid of it...none of the possibilities are good. It sounds like an otter to me, probably a pair, and if true, you can kiss your fish goodbye, unless you take quick action. I'm sure you probably know the damage Nutria and/or beaver can do to a pond.
 

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