Maxixe,

I don't know enough about ponds to comment on the algae question, but about
the turtle & Canada Geese:

I think turtles are pretty cool, and it's all I can do to resist stopping
the car to rescue them when they are about to cross a busy road (I don't for
two reasons: a young girl in this area was killed by a car when she tried
to do just that, and I've some opinions that say it's pointless to try to
head off the turtle, as it will just come back to the same place -- unless
I "kidnap" it and take it home with me, which is probably not a good idea
considering I'd be exposing the turtle to the attention of my dogs, sigh...)

As for the Canada Geese: they can make an *awful* mess on a grassy
urface -- that's for sure! As far as I know, however, the Geese prefer
well-mowed grass and stay away from longer grass. If your pond is 2 acres
(wow!), do you have enough room to try mowing an area near the pond (and
away from your backyard) while leaving a "buffer" of unmowed (or
less-frequently mowed) grass?

I realize that my suggestion may sound off-the-wall, but at least it doesn't
involve any harm to the wildlife, and it's reversible, as you could always
mow the grass back to its prior condition (more or less).

Just a thought -- and enjoy the wildlife!

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC



"Maxixe" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

We moved to the country and have a 2 acre pond right behind our house
(about 50 ft. from the back of the house) and it attracts all sorts of
wildlife which is fun to watch. Sometimes it is a little too close for
comfort and some people have told me that certain things are
undesirable to have around the pond. For example, a large turtle
(about 2 ft. long) crawled out of the pond to our back door yesterday.
It looks like a snapping turtle and I have been advised to "get rid of
it" by friends and acquaintances. It is creepy looking but if it
doesn't harm me or my family I don't care if it makes the pond it's
home but the problem, say some is that they are "dirty" and pollute
the pond.

Also we have Canadian geese. A Canada Goose pair come in spring, have
a bunch of goslings and then usually leave by late summer and don't
come back until the next spring. This doesn't bother me (except they
leave a lot of goose droppings in our backyard to step in (like having
about 10 minature poodles always crapping back there).

The pond is nearly covered with green mossy algae right now is this
because of the "dirty" animals that are using it or is it healthy
despite the algae? I am looking for the best book I can find on
starting a pond from scratch and maintaining it for beginners. This
was not a natural pond to begin with, it was just a hole dug out of
the ground by the former land owner to create a higher grade for
building a house since the lot sits at the bottom of a hill.