Thanks Theo. Yes, our area of the country is part of the high desert - where the Great Basin meets the Cascade Mountains - juniper, sage brush, native clump grass...and no humidity.
The pond is holding like a jug so far (knock on wood)...I will plan on managing around the sticklebacks and see what happens. They stay so small that, even with the spines, I suspect that large trout (or other predator fish) should be able to keep a handle on them. Thanks again for your input.
