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.