Thanks for the links, Peepaw!
Wow, Eric... those are some great photos and a great article. I can't find any good books on habitat for freshwater ponds. So, I trust you're working on a book deal! I'll take a dozen for gifts...
In any case, I'm starting to see the vertical component a lot better after browsing all of these great materials so thanks for expanding my pond world. I don't know if I can make the basement thing work with submerged islands. But, suffice to say, I'm giving the submerged islands a lot more (vertical) thought. Maybe I should consider replacing them with cribs...?
Snrub, although Osage Orange grows in our area, I can't recall seeing very much of it around. We used Cedar trees for fencing when I was growing up. Cedar makes nice furniture, too. But, as you say about Osage Orange, we always considered Cedar to be a nuisance tree around the farm. It's not good for shade, doesn't produce an edible fruit and it thrives best along fence rows and in the most inconvenient places. Incidentally, I recently read that Christmas trees are the number one cash crop in Texas these days - go figure!
I'm sure we'll push up some Cedar stumps when we extend the dam. We have a small area we plan to clear behind the dam. In the lower depths, without as much oxygen, I'm thinking Cedar logs would probably last as long as I'll be around. Another option is to use concrete culverts but they tend to be a bit expensive ($100's depending on diameter and length).
I found a limestone quarry (rip rap and gravel) within delivery distance. The material cost is about $125 per bob tail load. I'm not sure how much for delivery yet. The trucking company is independent of the quarry. I read that limestone rock piles can help stabilize the water pH and alkalinity over time. I probably won't need much flat (sand) stone so I could probably pick up some planks at any landscape yard. They'd make great shelves as you say. I could easily integrate these into the submerged islands. And, I found an add recently for busted up concrete within 20 miles of the farm - taken from an old parking lot. I'm a little leery of this one because of the potential for motor oil, antifreeze and other residuals in the concrete plus the rebar. But, suffice to say, I'm finding some workable options. All great suggestions and much appreciated!
