Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations New Guy

Whats up everybody. Quick question. I m 23 years old, from Wisconsin, and love everything about ponds. I m about to get out of the Marine Corps and I m looking for career opportunities in an area dealing with ponds. I m currently in So Cal but wnat to go back to Wisconsin.Any advice would be greatly appreciated and this is a great site.

USMC06,

I too am originally from Wisconsin -- the south shore of Lake Superior. Many years ago, Uncle Sam decided I should visit much warmer climates. I never moved back, but I still visit.

If your heart is intent on living in the Northwoods, and with your USMC background, I'd contact the DNRs in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. I would think they would love to have you. You'd get to intimately know every lake in your area.

Good luck,
Ken

USMC06
I can't help with your question, but welcome to the board, I'm sure you will find lots of help here.

Semper Fi

If you have contemplated going to college with your GI benefits, a Bachelor's in Biology/Fisheries Management might help open up a lot of jobs in the field you're interested in.

Welcome to PB, USMC! I also can't answer you question but I'm sure you'll get plenty of great responses. I would think though that it would be a great field to get into. It seems like the number of private ponds is growing rapidly. UC Davis here in California is very much into Aquaculture, check out this info..

http://aqua.ucdavis.edu/default.html

Just to see where the career can lead check out Bob Lusk's blogs if he doesn't live an adventureous life then no one does! I always read them just to see where in the world he is today!

Anybody with the exceptional discipline required of being a marine, combined with a valuable degree like biological sciences/fisheries, might be able to find the right part of the country to start his own business! Spending some time on this forum would also help you become knowledgeable concerning practical issues encountered by pond and land owners on a daily basis. Best of luck USMC06. Thank you for the service you've given to our country. Without servicemen and women I don't have the ability to even own a pond.

Bruce

Amen to that Bruce. Welcome to the PB forum USMC06 . Education is a key . Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out.

Welcome to PB

Welcome Marine,
glad you are back in one "peace"
Wisconsin is a great state and seems like a great place for a pond...LOL.
One thing we have found with our pond is that most ponds get mucky and they need maintainance. A service to provide both would be very popular. A while ago we contacted a pond muck cleaning service located in Central Wi and the owner, a very nice guy, was very booked, too busy to do anything with our pond for about a year(maybe). The cost was $1,750 a day to vacuum out muck. Dont know if he worked weekends but probably took the winters off...not a bad life and certainly the experiance could lead to other oportunities within the pond field. They use underwater type equipment to get to the bottom probably similiar to navy seal type stuff as they apparently need to lie flat on the bottom while doing the vacuuming. The spoil is hurled several feet and becomes good topsoil in a few weeks. Obviously they must have something similiar to a septic type pump to get the muck out so start up costs would need to be considered. In any event the pond business seems to offer many potential opportunities for sucess. Good luck and thanks foer your service.

USMC06 -- the most "applied" fisheries program in Wisconsin is UW-Stevens Point. If you are set on returning to WI, then that would be my strongest suggestion. They don't do much specifically on pond management, but they do most of the applied, sport fisheries work in the state.

I also agree with catmandoo. Check out the requirements with the WI DNR. Find out from what places they do most of their hiring. WI DNR probably trains their own wildlife officers but first you will need some basic biological training. Some states may currently have a hiring freeze and you may have to wait for attrition of workforce or someone to retire. In the meantime you will no doubt need to go somewhere for some basic educational course work. Maybe try Dr Dave Willis's sugggestion. Stevens Point has a good reputation for biological training.