Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Creating habitat Wetland development for critters

There's not a problem I can see that's not been already mentioned. My openings were rough cut with a jig saw, and a 4" grinder to open them up a bit. 3x4"? yeah, something like that...

I made mine out of some 10" wide old cypress boards that were laying in the barn for about a hundred years. They'll probably outlast me.

For cleaning, I hinged the bottom (it fits inside the sides) and drilled oversize holes through the front, into the bottom. Shoved in 16d duplex (double head) nails. I don't need any tools to open them for cleaning...pull the nail, bottom drops open.

I'm not sure what to call the things I mounted them on...they're steel, sorta u-shaped, heavier than a T-post. They're used as diagonal braces between wooden fence posts. Several leaning in a corner of the barn. Before I drove them in the ground (with the bucket on the 560, as I'm lazy) I slipped a piece of 4" schedule 40 pvc over the "posts". Ain't seen nothing able to "hug" that stuff and climb it, yet. And, I've got plenty of coons, snakes and a few mink running around.

If you're like me, you may have WD's nest/hatch, and yet never see them. Two years now, they've successfully hatched (IDNR biologist explained the difference in shell pieces between hatched and eaten nestlings) but I've never seen the babies. I believe they immediately lead them to the neighbor's pond, as it's 1/4 mile from anybody...