A manmade pond is a place to fish and see wildlife. It adds
to the view from the house.
And it’s a good place to take the grandchildren.

But did you ever notice what some people do when they get a
lake lot, or make a pond?

After choosing the house or cabin site, they declare war on
all vegetation except
perhaps a few of the largest trees.

Chain saws and weed trimmers roar and machetes whack from the
high ground all the way
to the water’s edge. Ask them why, and they say, "so we can
see the water."

I agree that "seeing water" can have some
therapeutic effect. But how much
water do you need to see?

After the clearing comes mowing — weekend mowing, hot-
weather mowing, noisy mowing,
endless mowing and mindless mowing. Eventually anyone can visit
every shoreline point on a
grass carpet.

But how much mowing and clearing do you want?

A glimpse of the water invites you to go exploring. A couple
of clean-mowed access
points is a plus. But if you can see the whole edge you have no
sense of adventure.
Nothing further needs exploring.

Leaving wild places along the shore is more intriguing. Not
seeing all the water
provides a sense of mystery.

How steep and deep do you want the edges?

If the pond was built for fish production, the edge slopes
steeply to deep water. This
way there is little room for rooted aquatic plants like
cattails, pickerelweed and
arrowhead.

Steep edges allow fewer hiding places for little fish. That
way the big fish can catch
the little ones. Steep edges allow easier access to deep water
and easier fishing from the
bank.

But deepening pond edges means fewer rooted aquatic plants,
too. That means fewer water
insects, turtles, snakes, ducks, tadpoles, frogs, marsh wrens,
egrets and herons, snails,
crayfish, red-winged blackbirds … fewer living things that add
up to what biologists
call diversity.

What good is diversity?

It’s less boring. And wild, diverse environments are more
stable than simple ones. If
you’re a wildlife lover with a pond in view of the house, you
might want to see a greater
variety of water life.

Do you want sun or shade on the water’s edge?

The shade of large shoreline trees can control weeds. If you
want a clear place, it’s
easier to maintain in shade. Some sunny places and some shady
places make a nice mix.

Don’t let large trees grow on the dam, though. If they die
and the roots rot they may
allow leaks to develop along the root channels.

What if a tree falls into the pond?

You can clean it up. Or you can let it lie as a hiding place
for fish and a basking log
for turtles.

Do you want clear, greenish or muddy water?

Steep-sided ponds allow efficient use of fertilizer to
produce that greenish plankton
bloom that’s much of the base of the fish food chain.

A shallow-tapering edge full of rooted marsh plants tends to
make for clearer water.
These plants suck nutrients from the water. And that reduces
plankton "blooms."

Very steep banks that project above the waterline allow waves
to slap them. That
muddies the water.

You can see such ugly, eroding shorelines at many large
lakes. I dislike them. Muddy
water reduces some fish’s feeding success because they can’t see
as well to find prey.

Do you want mowed edges or wild weeds, steep or shallow
banks, shady or sunny shores,
and clear, muddy or green water? It’s up to you.