Why Attract Wildlife at All?
There are quite a few reasons to target certain wildlife when designing a retention pond. Many ponds are mandated as habitat replacement, as well as for storm water control. In these cases, it’s required for the project to qualify for permits for the design to serve as a reliable habitat. Healthy ponds, with butterflies, birds, and turtles are also much more attractive than sterile environments with little life to them. Finally, retention ponds are often the only reliable source in developed areas, especially during prolonged droughts. Making the pond safe and clean enough for animals to visit could make an important difference in the survival of sensitive local species.
Which Animals Work Best for Retention Ponds?
Amphibians, like toads, frogs, newts, and turtles are a great boon to retention ponds. They eat all sorts of insects that might be a nuisance and generally have very little effect on the surrounding properties. However, they require high quality water and may not always thrive in retention ponds that lack filtration systems or artificial wetlands. Smaller waterfowl and songbirds attracted to open water are also important parts of the insect management chain. Bats will likely visit the pond at night without disturbing anyone living nearby. Invertebrates like fish, shrimp, and crawfish also play important roles in retention ponds in warmer climates. Keeping at least a minimal water level all year round is essential to keeping these populations alive since they can’t leave when the conditions get dry.
What Animals Can Cause Problems?
- Groundhogs; which dig extensive burrows around dams, banks, and pipes for inlets and outlets. They can collapse a wall to allow thousands of gallons of water to escape or block part of the plumbing where it’s hard to access for repairs.
- Muskrats; large rodents that cause similar problems as groundhogs. They can damage thinner and weaker liner materials, but reinforced materials will generally stop them, especially with a thick underlayment layer to back it up.
- Small rodents; such as rats, voles, and mice, which can still disturb enough soil under the banks to destabilize them. Liners like RPE are thick enough to withstand their burrowing efforts and keep the banks stable despite the excavation of small burrows under the surface.
- Beavers; large rodents that tend to build dams and redirect the flow of water for their own purposes. They can block the inlets and storm drains used to supply retention ponds or burrow through earthen dams that aren’t properly lined.
- Canadian geese; potentially aggressive waterfowl that cause nuisances by leaving waste all over retention ponds that causes odor and water quality issues. They tend to spread to neighboring, private properties and may injure children or pets.
- Wild and domestic ducks; which are less aggressive than geese but still a source of unpleasant waste. Duck nests also tend to become problems in inhabited areas where abandonment leaves rotting eggs behind.
- Alligators and water snakes; generally limited to hotter states like Florida but a serious safety risk in those parts of the country.
Controlling Wildlife Populations
The first step in attracting the right kind of life to a pond is design. A natural design, with places for small birds and animals to hide, will support a better balance than open designs that only favor bold predators. At the same time, make sure plant life is routinely trimmed, mowed, and controlled so there’s enough open space for prey animals to see around them when visiting the water. Maintain water quality with artificial wetlands, filters, and watershed management to keep wildlife healthy after making contact with the pond. Adding rock cover and durable liner materials like RPE is the best way to keep nuisance animals that burrow from moving in under the surface.
Design a retention pond that succeeds as both a storm water management measure and a wildlife habitat with the help of BTL Liners. We have the fish-safe and plant-safe materials you need to design ponds that look natural and attract all sorts of life. A bio-diverse retention pond doesn’t have to go without the benefits of a liner when materials like RPE are available.
