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Re: NFC: Lake restoration report ...new lake old hobby :)
robert a rice wrote:
> Temperature ranged from 82 F at the shore level to 79 F at a foot depth.
> Typical for a Local lake
Have you recorded the maximum depth of the lake? Temp at max depth in
relation to surface temp and 1 ft temp? Just curious.
> Nitrates were present in above average amounts. Probably due to
> fertilizer runoff from yards.
All too common.
How about phosphates? I'll bet that's pretty high, too, if fertilizers
are a problem.
[snip]
> The Aerator
> provides sufficient oxygen in the water to support a large fish
> community.
Some sort of electrical aerator in place?
> 6.) Add ducks in the fall after we have built up the food base a bit
> more.
Just please don't use moscovy ducks. We have those on our pond. They
are native to south america, and get about as big as a small goose.
They are very cheap, and therefore are often selected by property
management as the ornamental duck of choice. They breed like rabbits.
They get huge and prevent any plants from taking root in shallow water.
They are constantly kicking up sediment. The only good thing I've
noticed about them is they seem to keep the gambusia population down, as
well as ticks around the pond. Since they are constantly walking in and
out of the pond they have eliminated grass growth in many places around
the pond so there is a minor problem with erosion there not to mention
it is an eyesore.
Our management pays people to capture the young ducks every year in
order to keep the population down. So there is an ongoing expense there
as well as the ethical issues behind what to do with the young.
> 7.) Institute a 20 feet no fertilizer/pesticide/herbicide barrier around
> the lake to limit the washing in of chemicals.
On top of that, how about tracking down some literature on how to
organically maintain a good yard without fertilizer? 20 feet doesn't
strike me as much of a buffer, either, do you have any reason to think
this might make an impact?
> 8.) Start an annual kid's catch and release fishing tournament in the
> spring. It is a great way to encourage community involvement and
> ownership of the Lake.
Fish stocking is another way to get them involved. Let them actually
carry the buckets down and release the new fishes into the pond. Before
you actually stock have a short talk on the different species they'll be
stocking today and what each one will do to help bring the pond back to
life.
> 9.) Place fish buckets in the deepest parts of the lake. Fish will hide
> in them and Channel catfish need a bucket or cave to successfully spawn
> in a lake.
Also look into plastic milk crates used by convenience stores. Get some
twine and a flat rock to put on top to hold it down. Very cheap yet
very effective.
> I also recommend you check out my website at www.nativefish.org to learn
> more about native fish and pond restoration projects.
Nice plug. If you email this to people, again, it might make the
difference to put the http:// in front of the address to put the link
there for them and make it a brainless activity to just CLICK.
Good to see you kicking off this project and making a difference
locally. Please keep us updated on how this goes. I'd be very
interested in hearing.
--
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls
and looks like work." --Edison
Geek Code:
GCM/GTW/GOd--(-d+)Hs+:++!gp?au---a-w+(w++)v---C+++UL++++P+L++3-N+EK-WM--V--po(-po+)Y+t+5jxR-G'''tv+b+++DB---e*u**h++fr+++n---y+++
References: