OK pondmeisters, here's a survey plan that I think we need to execute as a team. I've been thinkin' about how to best go about this, and this is where I'm at.
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The survey question is very simple: Why do you own a pond?
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This forum is based largely on owning and maintaining private fishin' holes. There is a base core of PB posters that eat, sleep, and drink the pond fishin' stuff. I wonder about the rest of the 3700-some other forum members. In my mind, the real common and binding thread is the pond itself. It just so happens that the most popular by-product is fish and fishing. This makes me wonder what the other pond uses are and who is using and enjoying them for those other reasons. Is it possible that, given a large enough sampling of the pondmeister cross-section, we might find pond-use applications that rival fishing? I say "let's find out".
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So, here is my plan. We will do this in 2 steps. The first step will be to gather a list of the many reasons that one owns a pond. I started to create this list on my own, but it quickly became apparent that I would never be able to anticipate all the potential reasons...so...I decided to enlist my PB brethren to create a list. This thread that you are reading will be where this list is created. This is step #1. We will allow this thread to accumulate forum input for about one week. Then, the "reasons to own a pond" input will be boiled down and itemized as a numbered list in preparation for step #2.
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Step #2 will be a second thread for official voting. We will gather every forum member's reasons for owning a pond. Each member will be allowed to choose only from the itemized list of reasons. We will request "the top 5 reasons for owning a pond" as a forum post from each member (to be listed in order of importance: first choice being most important). A post-vote will look something like this: 6, 14, 5, 9, 21. This thread #2 will be allowed to run for, well, as long as we want it to. Since the input will be well organized and numbered, a tally can be generated at any time.
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Some notes and afterthoughts...
From a purely scientific standpoint, this survey plan should run like clockwork...except...we're talking about a survey of the PondBoss forum. As the designated Devil's advocate, I anticipate a number of short-shifts and U-turns. Knowing this, I propose that along with the top 5 reasons in Step #2, we include "Other". This vote option, Other, will allow a vote for something that we completely missed during the "reason collection process" in Step #1. It should be designated on the ballot as "Other: voter, fill in this blank with your own reason". So, perhaps a post-vote will sometimes look like this: 6, 14, 5, 9, 21, other: skinny-dipping.
Another thought will be those with multiple ponds. They should be allowed to cast a post-vote for each of their ponds.
What about those in the planning stages or currently constructing? I want to be all-inclusive with the forum, so I believe these folks need to add their voices, too. Maybe with the caveat that the construction will occur within the next 3 years...?
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Alrighty then, there ya go. Sure, this might very well crash and burn; at least I tried. On the chance that we can collectively create a detailed snapshot of our common cross-section, I submit the first ideas for Reasons To Own a Pond:

private fishery
to increase land value
ornamental landscaping
waterfowl hunting
waterfowl preservation
fish hatchery
swimming hole
to study aquaculture
to water livestock
to irrigate crops
powered water sports (ie; skiing, wakeboard)

All the posts to follow in this thread will be for the sole purpose of collecting ideas on how to best collect and organize the information we seek. PLEASE DO NOT VOTE ON THIS THREAD.

This will be an interesting survey.

My primary reasons for owning a pond:

Private Fishery
Ornamental Landscaping
To Attract Wildlife

Because when renting, one never builds up any equity.

Good starter list, Brettski. I submit the following:

-Relaxation (just by being there)

-Reduce local insect population (a stocked pond is a hole in the bugs)

-(You didn't exactly in my mind include) Growing large or interesting fish

-Non-powered water sports (canoeing, rowing)

-Wildlife attractor (for aesthetics or hunting)

-Erosion control

I agreee this will be a very interesting survey.

My reasons are:
Private fishery
Ornamental Landscaping
Enjoying the sound of the waterfall
Peace and serenity
The challenge of doing it right

yeah o.k. b'ski, admirable effort that i will whole heartedly support.....your work is obviously not keeping you busy , but you stay productive for us .......thanks......

my top five (containing one you did not mention and variations of others):

1) fish raising/aquaculture and harvesting (for sport, hobby, and food)
2) water storage for fire safety/prevention
3) biological diversity/wildlife attractant (waterfowl inclusive but not limited to)
4) enhance property value
5) ornamental landscape/i.e. per theo....to just have, sit, and ponder

OK, everybody....remember....
this thread is only to collect the other reasons that nobody else has submitted yet. The actual collection of post-votes for your top 5 will occur in about a week on an entirely different thread. (after I sort thru the offering of reasons and itemize them as candidates)

Like me this is simple one word

PEACE

For me they go something like this.

1. Sanity from the world.
2. Erosion control (what else do you do with a 25' deep gully?)
3. Property values
4. Ornamental landscape
5. Beaver Blood

a scientific laboratory:

where else could you evaluate and quantify the transitory flight of perciverous yolk masses and subsequent relocation of gill breathing fauna via bird's feet?

Good idea Brettski!

Here are my 10 reasons for a pond.

1. Safe fresh fish source (I've posted before about the many problems we have with hormones, intersex fish, fish sores, PCBs, heavy metals, and near extinction of BG and SMB in my formerly most favorite public fishing spots in the world.).

2. Emergency water source for fire protection (I'm 20 miles from the closest fire hydrant).

3. Just one more passion (err . . . hobby) that provides brain stimulation while providing relaxation, but, that can be neglected for days or weeks without serious consequences or guilt complexes.

4. Good quality fishing -- monster bluegills, soon-to-be reasonable catfish, and large winter trout not consistently available in public waters.

5. A place to just relax after a very long day.

6. Expanding a quality wildlife ecosystem for finned, winged, legged, and non-legged critters and bugs of all types.

7. A fun place to gather for guests, from grandchildren to grand parents, and for all ages of friends in between those age groups -- for fishing, hot dog and marshmallow roasting, story telling, and just having a good time.

8. Irrigation for fruit and vegetables.

9. A swimming hole on hot summer days.

10. A reason to be a Pond Boss member (maybe this should be higher in the list).

Enjoy your pond,
Ken

My reasons are:

1)private fishery
2)to increase land value
3)swimming hole

".....your work is obviously not keeping you busy , but you stay productive for us .......thanks......"

D.I.E.D., that's going to keep me laughing for about a day.

Brettski, so if someone mentions "private fishery" for instance, then I don't need to list it? Only list what others haven't come up with yet? Like brainstorming for all reasons?

-Vibing with another dimension.
-A big complex toy
-A great place to party
-A generational legacy

One step closer to being self sufficient. One less reason to go to a grocery store.

Great idea Brettski!
Couple of subliminal reasons to add...

Do something that lasts. (with technology today, (updates to the PB forum aside)stuff is changing so fast, it is good have and work on something that will outlast our short pilgrimage here.

Build Stuff. I love the creativity of this group; the bug whackers, fish and fly condo's, aeration, dams and piping, tractors and equipment. What isn't there to love about our liquid filled depressions!

I am late to this thread. Good job folks.

stimulate the mind
exercise
family
marvel in God's creation

Sit back; have a cool one and watch. It is seldom as tranquil in the water as one might think.
I guess this might be called nature study.

1) Learning new dance steps every year.

- 2005 - Rain Dance 101

- 2006 - Rain Dance Advanced

- 2007 - "Whoa there - save some for later" Dance

I love fishing!

OK folks, read the rules, only what hasnt already been listed.
I'll have to get back wit cha after a coupla jack and 7s.

Actually, I dont even have a pond; I hate fish and fishing. I am only on the forum to harass Brettski. Is it working?

BEAVER BLOOD??

Yeah, I forgot to ask what Beaver Blood means. Do we really want to know? There may be no going back.

Don't think I duplicated any already posted but I could have missed one.-- Good luck B'ski sorting this list out.

Let's see, reasons to own a pond.......

1- Sanity Maintenance (Tied with Single Barrel Jack but that's not pond
related for your purposes - But they sure go together nice in my world)

2- Catching fish- (never keep 'em & don't eat 'em)

Dan

The pond is somewhere useful to throw the crickets you catch in the garage.

Not to vote, but you gotta include my reason:

My .00001 acre glass-lined bluegill pond is stoking the fire!

Or, is this a reason I WILL own a pond some day? I guess I could vote for both "Peace" (I won't fish in Lake Jet-Ski) and "Private Fishery" (sure would like to recreate in some small way the nearly untouched fishery I've experienced in Northern Michigan). It's hard to find a cubby hole....

Great topic Brettski!

We built our pond in order to fulfill a dream.
Our pond has given us a great project to work on together.

Sunil, what does "vibe with another dimemsion [sic]" mean exactly? What is going on at your pond????

claybird, that one may take a while to answer, but let me try to briefly clarify.

We live in "air" and everything that is under water can be considered another dimension to some degree.

Imagine if you took the water/air interface, and and made it vertical, as opposed to horizontal. Then, if you could stand there, and reach through (from the air into the water) and grab things, and pull them over to the air side...

Does anyone know what I mean?

I definitely get it.

My reasons for owning a pond:

1. To be able to closely observe how biological systems work. These things fascinate me, and give me insight into how human systems work.

2. To be able to provide entertainment, in the form of fishing, to some of my family members.

3. To give myself some much needed mental time away from work. When I'm doing pond tasks I'm not dwelling on my job.

4. For those wonderful moments when I put the hoe and shovel away and just stand over the property in awe of it's beauty.

I thought we were going to tinfoil hats for a second.

1. Ponds transcend the generation gap. Where my granddaughter would normally say "papaw, why are you wearing that dorky straw hat?...Instead she might say "nice fishing hat, papaw". Though my sons still say I look like farmer Brown.

2. Ponds allow you to spend lots of money on 'stuff' and somehow be able to reconcile it with yourself (not to mention the boss).

...it took this long for the Jack & 7's to kick in?

I would like it noted for the official record that since my reason(s) for owning a pond were previously stated that I have refrained from voting and will, as instructed by our esteemed Brettski, wait until phase 2 to cast my ballot. And assuming that their are no floating chads, will await the final official talley. And further would like it recorded for posterity that I did not in any way post anything to this thread that could be construed as thread jacking, unless of course you include the floating chad remark would I don't think should count since it of course relates to voting results.

For me it is doing something different, it's a hobby which includes other hobbies, it's a front room when I have people over, it's an intentional obligation that requires my attention, it is intended to allow me to feel a sense of accomplishment by setting out goals and objectives to work towards and it filled a need to be of some use to what was around me.
I mean raising all of those fish, frogs, toads and turtles plus trying to decide in a split second if that snake in poisonous, the feeling you get when you know you have been poached, or watching the heron eat your babies, I don't know that I fully anticipated those things, but I knew there would be a great deal of self reveal connected to the process. I also know that it is a rewarding endeavor as I am now planning another pond.

That's what my late F-I-L called "therapy"; I should have thought to list it, 'cause it's the most important reason for me.

Hmmm...kinda sounds like Ed Harris in The Abyss. You just gotta have faith.

To see the smiles it brings to my Family,Friends,Neighbors, and even strangers faces who get to enjoy it.

NUMBRO UNO REZONE
"CAUSE I WANT ONE"

NUMBRO DOS REZONE
"I WAS BORN WITH POND FEVER IT'S IN MY BLOOD STREAM"

WATER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT SUBSTANCE IN THE WORLD. WITHOUT IT WE WOULDN'T HAVE A WORLD. WITHOUT IT WE WOULDN'T BE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION.

Bski I think this is a repeat from a thread a few years back, seems like it has been discussed before.. Very interesting to see folks perspective.

Oh Sunil, I know what you mean by the vertical interface. I was fishing in a small boat on the ocean once with 10 foot swells. From the boat the swells looked like a vertical wall of water. I could see the fish in the swells and some times they were above my head with my fishing line going out horizontally and sometimes even sloping upward. I could watch the fish hit the lure just like looking into an aquarium. It was weird!

The original reasons I built my pond were:
1. A source of black dirt and fill for my yard.
2. Improve the view in my back yard.
3. Lower my homeowners insurance (ready source of water for fire department.

Then somehow I got the idea to put fish in the pond, and life changed.

Ground Water Recharging (I know, it's a foreign concept to those who fill their pond with a well)

Theo...
Is there any point at which your brain begins to hurt?

Backwards type I sometimes, but, no.

I want to live by the ocean, but it's 250 miles away.
So I have a pond.

Theo, thanks for the Yoda impersonation, but no thanks!

These may deserve a vote
http://www.pondboss.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=73021&fpart=1

Thanks, Rocky-T...I thought I kinda remembered something about this subject from a previous thread. Thank God it's only a one-pager. I'll incorporate it when I boil this thread down.

OK, here is the first rough draft of the "reasons to own a pond". I copied all the input to a Word doc and started to match up similar ideas, condensing them into one larger statement. The goal is to provide many voting options with as few candidates as practicable. As much as I tried to be inclusive of all data, I expect that there may be some difficulty seeing some specific input condensed into a larger category. I apologize and welcome comment for either my explanation or amendment.
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There were some ideas that were, indeed, original and didn't really have similar thoughts to be condensed with. I included these as stand alone reasons. I would like everyone to review this list and provide thoughtful input. Should any category be nixed? ...further condensed? ...or, further expanded?
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Finally, we're not done. Heck the last reason on this first draft popped into my mind while I was creating it. (yeah, I know Burger...that's the one that should be nixed). We are gonna let this play out a few more days to see what shakes.
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Quality private fishery
To enhance land value
Ornamental landscaping
Provide affordable and convenient water frontage real estate
To attract wildlife for hunting
To attract wildlife for viewing and/or preservation
Fish hatchery
Swimming hole
To study aquaculture
To study all of nature and/or biology
To water livestock
To irrigate crops
To provide powered water sports (ie; skiing, jetski)
To provide non-powered water sports (ie; canoeing, rowing)
To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
Reduce local insect population (fish eat bugs)
Erosion control
To create and enjoy the sounds of moving water (ie; waterfall)
A family or personal challenge of actually building it
A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem
To provide safe, fresh fish as food
Water source for fire fighting
A fun place to gather with family and friends
Create a legacy to pass on to generations to follow
A place for physical exercise
Create a place to pay homage to the Higher Authority
To transcend generation gaps
A hobby that justifies substantial personal and monetary investment
To provide soil for use elsewhere
Recharge the groundwater
Provide water based utilities to a home

for the chicks man....the chicks!!!

To teach my children things they will never learn in school and hopefully remember for the rest of their life

geothermal A/C heat sink

Hey Darryl,
Thanks for kickin' in. Can I ask you if:
To teach my children things they will never learn in school and hopefully remember for the rest of their life
might fit under A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem
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geothermal A/C heat sink might fit under Provide water based utilities to a home
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Your reasons are very good, but I'm striving to keep the candidate list pared down to broader categories. whaddayathink?
(btw, we are honored that you would spend your 7th post to participate in our project. This is what it's all about...ALL the forum members).
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Sr McB...your dashing good looks and sexually mesmerising gyrations will likely attract any and all available chicks, leaving the rest of us with only the list and the Sunday paper. It would be unfair to taunt us with the empty promise of many chicks. Therefore, your request is respectfully denied.

Some of this stuff is D-E-E-E-E-P. Some of it is getting piled pretty high.

Our ponds for me are mainly a “means to an end:
1 Therapy
2.Fishing
3.Fishing

Non repetitive duplication rule respectively ignored...

as would Provide domestic water supply (first mention, I think).

But should HVAC use and drinking water use be together or separate? Another tough decision for "Gallup Poll" Brettski.

For just about all the reasons already mentioned, except water sports. But who knows, we may even get a paddle boat for exercise.

I tell the wife that with bottled water prices being what they are, we are millionaires. It makes me feel better about spending all that money.

After seeing the list, I'm inclined to vote
All of the Above!

Great idea, Brettski. Thanks for your admin effort.

I was trying to figure out how to get input on the topic "What would you do different if you were building your pond again?". I guess my topic wouldn't need ranking, so I'll be interested to see how this topic plays out. It may help answer part of my question.

I don't have any additional topics that couldn't fit under one of the others.

B-ski I think there is one more to consider. How about this.
“To survive”. Or “To make inhabitable land habitable”.

Belief it or not there are many parts of Texas that don't have ground water and the areas are so rural that the only source of water is from a pond. Without these ponds life would not be possible in these regions of the country. I was raised on my grand parent’s farm in central west Texas. Believe it or not it was less than 10 years ago that rural water was made available to the folks that lived out in the country in this region. Everyone had to have a pond built just to be able to survive and habit this region. I'm sure they are still areas like this left in many areas of our state & country for that matter. I grew up drinking water straight out of a pond no filter what so ever. Things got a little gritty after a big rain event.

I'm going through a mid life crisis and have already owned seven Corvettes.

We both always wanted a pond, dreamed of it, and it just finally became reality last year. My husband, a farmer, had a piece of land with a hill on the corner that people always asked him to sell, he never did. Then he met me, we married, built his dream house on the hill and finally the pond. He's happy, I'm happy. And, fishing is so much fun.

Done differently? Plan ahead for the dream! Had we planned our house on the bill better, we could have had the pond in front the house and kidney shaped but because of the septic system it was the less costlier of the two and we're happy with it just the way it is now.

Grew up on the water and absolutely loved it. Meet my better half. She was a farm girl. I wanted to stay on the water, she wanted a farm. The prerequisite was the farm had to have a pond. Needless to say I now live on a farm with my pond. Learned long ago, If Mammas not happy, nobodys happy!! Besides that the boat was not going to function in the fields.

Reason for owning pond:
1. In a kind of, possibly, sort of, twisted way; make Mamma happy. Might be stetching it a bit, but it sounds justifiable!! I think they refer to this as fuzzy logic.
2. Save on wear and tear on the boat.

Ron

...just a bump
Thanks for all the feedback and ideas for candidates on our upcoming poll Why do you have a pond? It seems to be simmering down, but we'll let it ride a couple more days to collect any other possible ideas. I'm gonna repeat the current list (no change from the list on the 2nd pg of this thread)
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Quality private fishery
To enhance land value
Ornamental landscaping
Provide affordable and convenient water frontage real estate
To attract wildlife for hunting
To attract wildlife for viewing and/or preservation
Fish hatchery
Swimming hole
To study aquaculture
To study all of nature and/or biology
To water livestock
To irrigate crops
To provide powered water sports (ie; skiing, jetski)
To provide non-powered water sports (ie; canoeing, rowing)
To provide escape, peace, and relaxation (therapeutic or otherwise)
Reduce local insect population (fish eat bugs)
Erosion control
To create and enjoy the sounds of moving water (ie; waterfall)
A family or personal challenge of actually building it
A family or personal challenge to maintain a complex ecosystem
To provide safe, fresh fish as food
Water source for fire fighting
A fun place to gather with family and friends
Create a legacy to pass on to generations to follow
A place for physical exercise
Create a place to pay homage to the Higher Authority
To transcend generation gaps
A hobby that justifies substantial personal and monetary investment
To provide soil for use elsewhere
Recharge the groundwater
Provide water based utilities to a home
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I must repeat my appreciation for everybody's participation in creating this list for the vote. Please don't feel "dis'd" if your own specific reason is not a candidate. I need to keep this list of candidates as brief as possible for ease of perusal and selection; your reason should fit somewhere under one of the larger categories. If not, the option of OTHER will be available.
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ps; Rocky-T; thank you for the input, but I'm gonna ask you to consider Provide water based utilities to a home or OTHER. Gates; good input, but same response. Your #1 is a good one, but I think it is too "all encompassing" and is more of a master category of all the ideas already listed. BTW, good to hear from you!
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pss; if you are one of our many valued lurkers, chime in; this one if for you. Otherwise, we'll look for you at the voting booth in a few days.

Vote early and vote often. Plus, Brettski's from Chicago, so remember to assist the living-impaired in getting to the polls.

...absentee ballots will be available

Brettsi - Did you purposely do this survey when we were "Up Nort Fishin'?

To provide for my family and a few friends the chance to go where they don't have to deal with people who are not like minded in relation and the most important things in this world not to mention the next one. To put it simply I would rather not put up with (TURDS) on my time at my place.

Serenity
Quality fishery
Wldlife attractant
swimming
personal satisfaction

I didn't see relaxation/serenity in there.

Although I hate to admit a higher power was not thought of during the construction. I feel very close to Him when I'm there.

To wait for those boys, of course!

As in "Oh God, please get rid of my neighbor"?

Well, that too, but only occasionally.

Well, aren't you only out at the pond occasionaly?

When you drop off the fish I think I might have a tool that you could borrow. (and that's all that I'm going to say about it!)