Pond Boss Forums INTRO Bob Lusk's blog Blog up!

Usually, I talk about travels, where I've been, what lakes I've worked on, that sort of thing. Here we are, breathing in the beginning of a brand new year and I think this blog will be more about you, your ponds and what to expect in the months to come.
This forum constantly amazes me. I'll always remember those formative years, back in the late 1990's, when Pond Boss founding editor, Mark McDonald, mentioned he was thinking about an idea. How about we host a "live chat" in this Internet thing...and Lusk, "You'll be the host and answer questions." Then he said, "We'll do it every Thursday." My immediate question to him was, "What will YOU do?"
Seems 'ol Lusk still had kids at home back in that day, four of them in high school at the same time. We had ball games every Thursday, Friday, Tuesday...seemed like every day of the week, almost. Between trying to build a pond management business and take care of all those teenagers, I didn't have time to do a "live chat".
But, there were so many questions and people were becoming markedly more interested in their water...and the creatures which loom beneath.
So, this forum was born with the help of our buddy, JP Greeson (who hosts a number of fishing forums).
Within two years, we'd outgrown the software we purchased...too much bandwidth. So, we changed, lost all our forum data and started over.
What amazes me most is that this forum became almost like a family. We set the stage early with strict rules...no ugly talk, no politics, treat each other with respect and it seemed to work. Sure enough, this forum became a community of like-minded, intelligent folks who help each other become better stewards of their land and water.
The moderators were hand-picked and their job has been to assist people with their searches, to eliminate spam and to make sure people follow the golden rule. Because of all these ingredients, lifelong friendships have developed from this website discussion forum.
Over the years, the topics have changed quite a bit. So have the members. Some come, some go, some come back, some sell their land...others get what they needed and move on.
Then there are those who are here on a regular, steady basis.
Part of the fun is to watch intelligent exchange of ideas mixed with the personalities of those who express their opinions.
So, what's this got to do with you? Plenty. Ten or fifteen years ago we were pretty much on our own to gather information, usually piecemeal, and then try to figure out what will work for our situation. Now, you can post a question and get a review of practical experience, theories and opinions which can make your decision-making process much more likely to succeed.
In the months and years to come, we're going to hear more about water quality. Our climate is changing, compared to 30+ years ago. Rains aren't nearly as predictable and we're seeing more and more superstorms and super droughts. We'd better adjust our thinking to accomodate climate change.
Not only is the climate changing via our atmosphere. So is the political climate. Politics is a forbidden topic on this website. At the same time, big cities are fighting for water all across the nation and it won't be long before YOU are affected. If you don't believe me, talk to our buddy Gary Harrington, in Oregon. He was jailed last year for impounding water in a pond and not removing the dam...a 37 year old dam. Several of my clients received letters in 2011, letters from city attorneys, demanding water be released from their private lakes to serve the cities.
There's a guy in Georgia who's been threatened with prison if he doesn't remove a dam he built without a permit.
Water is becoming a bigger deal than any of us would like to think.
In my opinion, we ALL need to be on guard to protect our water resources from a number of different angles. We need to protect it as stewards. That's our job. But, we also need to protect our rights to impound it and use it as we wish.
One thing the politicians won't figure out is that water is the most amazing substance on the planet. It is always on the move, whether we like it or not. We don't own it, we don't keep it. We use it and then it leaves. While under our care, we landowners must be the best caretakers we can be. So, not only do we need to protect our water, we need to protect our RIGHTS to protect it!
Pond Boss is a voice for those of us who try to do the right thing. That includes YOU!
As this website forum continues to grow, we need you to spread the word of Pond Boss. If you haven't subscribed to the magazine, please do so. Those dollars drive the written word to put it in the hands of those who need it. Please spread the word. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors.
Pond Boss intends to be the VOICE of people like you. But, we need bigger numbers to be able to be any kind of a substantial voice. Yes, Pond Boss has a website. Yes, we have lots of free information. Yes, we have the magazine. The magazine is our primary product and subscriptions drive that vehicle. Sure, advertisers foot a fair amount of the bill, but I'd much rather see us continue to be driven by subscribers. Readers create the demand...the demand for solid information. We provide that.
But, in the near future, Pond Boss should be larger, becoming more than just a magazine and website. You, and everyone who owns land with water on it, needs to help drive that force.
In the meantime, we'll continue to provide good information in a timely fashion. This forum will continue to have great people helping each other.
For you, think more about your water and your rights to impound it. That's the upcoming set of issues.
Figuring out how to grow fish isn't that hard...although there are continual issues with fish husbandry. Dealing with runaway vegetation is not too hard. Landscaping and making a pond more attractive. Not hard. Building a dam...predictable.
But, keeping your water clean, dealing with imbalances of nutrients, too much phosphorus, too little phosphorus, not enough nitrogen, blue-green algae...that's the next set of issues you'll want to know about.
As editor of Pond Boss and private fisheries consultant in my 34th year now, my pledge is to do the best we can to stay on top of these critical issues. Your job is to help spread the word so we can touch more people with these critical topics. They need it, too.
Welcome to 2013!