my nrcs guy has been very helpful w/ my various habitat projects. i'm hoping to have a seperate 8~10 acre shallow water impoundment built this summer as part of the CP 9 program of CRP.

the wetland i was referring to in my original post doesn't qualify for this program. the only gov. program available would allow the general public to have access to the marsh ~ which i don't want.

so.......... i'm considering building the marsh myself w/ the guidance of the nrcs folks. the marsh would be created out of pastureland and doesn't currently hold water. the soil in my area has a high clay content, so creating a watertight barrier shouldn't be too difficult.

my concern is primarily the cost of creating the dikes. to keep costs down, i was thinking of a modest dike w/ minimal dirt work necessary.