Matson designed this book to serve as a companion to his Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance and Restoration (Countryman, 1991) by exploring new topics in depth and providing additional bibliographies and lists of suppliers. Topics include pond building and maintenance, activities and uses (including ice skating, fishing, beach building, hydro power, and pond-side structures), ways to attract wildlife and control pests, and small water-lily or goldfish ponds. Resource lists provide addresses and phone numbers, with occasional annotations. Matson balances his enthusiasm for ponds with frequent warnings about legal, structural, and ecological pitfalls?information that may well save readers from costly mistakes. Living in Vermont, Matson focuses to some extent on conditions in the Northeast, but his general guidelines should apply to any U.S. location.
