Winter On Our Lakes & Ponds

Winter is a wonderful time to make some improvements to your lake or pond that will pay huge dividends next spring. It is the perfect time to sit down and evaluate the problems from the previous year, and devise an annual lake management plan to mitigate those problems for the coming year. Most aquatic resource problems can be dealt with most effectively when they are addressed early in the spring, before they have a chance to get out of control.The first thing one might wish to consider during the winter months is to perform a thorough evaluation of the physical characteristics of the pond. Identify erosion problems, areas where leaves or other organic matter seem to be nutrient loading the pond, inspect outflow structures for damage, locate areas of significant sedimentation, identify any areas that might have been damaged by muskrats, nutria, beavers, or other nuisance critters, and more. Inexpensive lake mapping procedures can be performed using GPS technology and pictures to provide lake and pond owners with all of this information in a very simple and easy to use format.