Anyone have a creek or pond? Advice please.

[Marty]

Hus wants us to move off the mountain to our 15 acres in the valley. I have not agreed to do it yet. I love it where I am. My biggest concern besides leaving my much loved community is there is a lot of water on the property. It has a creek running throughout. Its very pretty and I do enjoy sitting by it and listening to the water and walking around in it. There is a spring fed fishing pond also where I can put my little boat in and go rowing about. That's the fun part.

But here's the problem: I've never had problems before with possums, bugs, snakes, etc. things like that up here and I'm thinking with so much water around it will bring disease and cooties to my animals; things that I don't worry about up here. But on the 15 acres we saw a muskrat so that gave me a heart attack and I assume there are possums too. I don't think I'm out of line assuming that with a creek and a pond there are going to be an abundance of bugs and snakes all over the place. I'm terrified of snakes.I was told that snakes won't stay in a creek where they water is running but I'm not sure that's true and maybe there are water mocs in the pond that I just can't see. I have visions of walking out the front door and having to dodge them and watch every step I take. Hus thinks I'm borrowing trouble. I feel I am trouble shooting. Dan was camping out there during 4th of July when it was very hot and according to him "the bugs weren't too bad" whatever that is supposed to mean. He's no help.

Hus will fence it so no horses will have any access at all to the creek or to the pond but I'm still leary. So for those that have creeks and ponds, what do you think? Am I going to be bug and snake infested?

 

[2minis4us]

If you have 15 acres does your house have to be near the pond ?

We live next to a creek and do not have problems with bugs, the dragonflys help with that. Also we put up a bat house this year.

As far as the pond, that may attract some un-wanteds LOL

 

[Ashley]

I think you are overly worried. We have a pond in our horse pasture as well as a lake/swamp across the road and more swamp out back of the horse pasture(hey its MN land of the swamps....err lakes). We do have a higher skeeter issue this year but thats because of the abundance of rain we have had. Otherwise we dont really ever have a bug problem that isnt manageable(as I say that I have the "tarp" patio door taken down so the breeze can come through with out bug issues.

Next to our pasture the neighbors also have a pond/swamp that connects to our pond. Never been an issue either. If anything we have a large population of deer and birds.

 

[Riverrose28]

Our pond has dried up in the heat, but I would think you would have the opposite problem. I know here when we are rain starved the critters look for water on the farms. I was dumping water tubs yesterday and scrubbing to refill when I dumped over the mares tub there was a black snake underneath. Sometimes when water is hard to find birds will roost on the tubs and drink, I've had deer come to drink. We live near a river but don't have much of a skeeter problem now, we did have at the beginning of spring as all my bats are gone, but once the martins moved back in, no more skeeters.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Marty, why don't you make a list of pros and cons for each place? See what you will be giving up, what you would get from the move that kind of thing. It might help you see the whole picture clearer. Don't forget to include "Hus will be happy" as one of the perks to moving

Also can you camp out there for a day or 2? Then you would get a feel for it yourself, but keep in mind that many of the residents will leave once people start building homes, barns fences etc. Good luck making a choice, I for one would love to live near a stream.

 

[Marty]

I have mostly cons. At one point I thought it would do us good to leave but I'm emotionally tied here to this house and many good memories of raising my kids here.

The house would be some 1000 feet or more from the pond and about 200 feet from the creek. I'd actually have the creek running through part of my front yard. Hus is also saying once there is human presence and horses and dogs and general activites a lot of unwanted residents will pack up and leave.

 

[Reble]

Hi Marty, go for it, change can be good.

We have a creek where it is so nice not to worry about water in the winter, until the snow gets to deep for the minis to make a path.. and the pond is wonderful for our fallow deer to enjoy, they love to go in for a swim, now in winter our pond freezes over and do not let them out in that area.

People that come to visit love the water area.. and we have seen ducks, cranes that enjoy a nice cool dip in the summer.

Pond is not huge but love to go out in our paddle boat.

So will you need to build .. that could be your dream home...

But if Mama ain't happy no one is happy....

 

[kaykay]

Hi Marty

Both our farm in Illinois and our farm here has a creek bordering the pasture. It is fenced off but close to the pasture. I know many feel potomac fever is a risk living near water, but we have never had any issues. (almost afraid to type that) I know a vet a few years back told me never locate livestock water tanks near creeks or ponds as birds fly over with snails and drop them in the tank which can cause potomac fever.

more on potomac fever

Our creek does draw in deer but I love that!

 

[sundaymom]

We have a front pasture with a pond. I can't say that we have anymore critter problems than anyone else in our area.

Like many others, this summer has been the worse for heat. We have been above 97 since the 1st day of June and reaching highs of 105. Then humidity taking it even higher to the feel.

All these years the older mares, when in this front pasture have never gone into the pond, nor the young ones. They have drank from it but never liked even getting their feet wet. I have four foals this year, who like children, love the pond. By themselves (not by mimicing the elders) they have discovered and fallen in love with the pond. They all wade out in it, lay down and roll at the edge and splash around having the most fun. All these years I have never seen four horses enjoy anything so much. I have to assume it's the heat that has brought it about.

There is more shade in the back pasture and I like them back there with babies due to the barn and just more secure. However, the grass is about fried so the reason I have moved them during the day to the front pasture and back at night. Today and tomorrow they say will be the hottest so far so I left them in the back with hay. My four babies would cause you to cry or laugh at the way they have gone around the back pasture to the side strip that is across from the front pasture and just seem to be staring across at the pond. Ha!

 

[JennyB]

Marty hi,

 

It sounds wonderful and being next to the water is very comforting

We have never had problems living next to rivers, creeks or ponds, although I have just lived in the northern high states which don't have problems with the critters you were describing. We had a pond for 15 years and the horses and cows always seem to want to drink out of it verses the water troughs and they never got sick, nor injured themselves.

 

I did live for a short time in east Texas on an Arabian farm. They had VERY expensive, beautiful, champion horses and had a lot of critters, but when taken care of they had no problems. The two worst problems were bad snakes in their ponds and spiders! The horses never got bit or sick which amazed me. They did have an exterminator come once a week and spray down the whole barn, house, garage and out buildings for bugs, especially the inside of the house because the kids had gotten bit a couple of times by small scorpions which made them sick enough for trips into the hospital. Personally I would never live there!

 

What someone else said about camping there might be a good idea for you to see what critters and bugs there are there. Do this at the buggest time of the year. Also is there anyway you can just live there for a month or two to help make your decision? I think you have enough issues and concerns that for your own well-being you need to find out for sure. Never jump into moving to a place if it doesn't feel 100% or close to it whatever the reasons. It would be a bummer to sell your home you have now and move down to your new place, hate it and not be able to move back! On the other hand, being open minded is good as well as change, very enlightning and good for the soul if you fully embrace it.

 

Good luck with your research and making up your mind what you really want to do. There is something to be said about jumping in with both feet, but not if you sink to the bottom!

 

Many Blessings,

Jenny

 

[targetsmom]

We have a creek on our farm in CT that flows into a pond and then out again, crossing the road. Our big horse's pasture is actually on the north side of the pond and creek so he has to walk through the creek twice a day (at least) to get to and from his pasture. He does not have direct access to the pond - I would really worry when it was iced over. Most summers the creek will dry up by now, but not this year! I do vaccinate everyone for Potomic and West Nile.

I really like having the creek and the pond to look at and use the water from in case of emergency. I mostly appreciate the wildlife in our pond which is bordered by trees. Wildlife include otter, great blue herons, ducks, Canada geese, bobcat, and the occasional bear. What I don't appreciate is the occasional beaver or the mosquitoes. We have snakes too, but not sure if those are from the pond or not. We don't have deer because there is a nursery nearby and they invite hunters 3 times a week so that the deer don't destroy the plantings.

Good luck in your decision. I like the idea of a pro/con list.

 

[2minis4us]

I can understand your not wanting to leave, but something tells me you are going to anyway.

 

[RenMac Farm]

we live right next to a creek and it runs thru both of my pastures.. the horses love it! it isnt deep so dont have to worry about anyone gettin stuck in it. I grew up playing in this creek catching minnows and crawcrabs and salamanders.. My kids are now playing in the same creek. We have an occasional water snake but we also have the occasional copperhead or blacksnake as well. They see us they usually hide.. no problems with bugs either.. WE do have critters that water from that creek, deer, coyotes, possums, coon, groundhogs, muskrats, foxes, and I am sure even an occasional bear or 2. we havent ever had any problems with anything messing with our horses.

 

[Equuisize]

Well,you know my story.

We lost our home and business when the Puyallup River flooded in 2006.

So that would be one of my big questions - would your home & barn be above

what is called here, anyway, the 500 year flood level or at least 100 year level,

to protect you from flooding?

When we moved to the farm, in 2007, I'd previously said, I'd never live in a valley again,

didn't want to be near water and possibly didn't even want a bathtub. Didn't want

anything that held water.

We live in the Chehalis River Valley (on the dry side of the street) and have a creek

that runs thru the woods on the north side of the property. It runs thru a ravine that

is about 30 feet below the house& barn. If it floods the house and barn there are going

to be lots and lots of people in worse shape than us, before it floods here.

I love the sound of the creek and had told Michael that I wanted a fountain when we moved.

Don't need one...just leave my bedroom door open, in the summer, and can hear it gurgling.

It's very restful.

We have no more critters or insects here than we've had anywhere else except for the deer

and I love them.

 

[Marty]

So that would be one of my big questions - would your home & barn be above

what is called here, anyway, the 500 year flood level or at least 100 year level,

to protect you from flooding?

No. The entire valley is in the 100 year flood zone. I have flooded in Florida a LOT and I do not appreciate it. Thankfully my barn was built up way way way high and I was literally the only barn in town that was high and dry. Up here on the mountain it can't flood as we dump all our rain down to the valley below. I have seen the streets flash flooded twice in town because its by the river but not out in this rural area. I have two good friends on that same road that said it never has flooded out that way but I say "never say never." I still have not agreed to sell my house and go anywhere. Hus is hopeful I'll come around. He got his ancient tractor running by some miracle and in the process of building a house and barn pad to entice me. I sure would like one of those really super big double wide mobile homes though.

 

[Equuisize]

No. The entire valley is in the 100 year flood zone. I have flooded in Florida a LOT and I do not appreciate it

Boy do I get that. I could never do it again. The county originally yellow tagged our property and said we could rebuild. Then they reclassified the our whole community to a 'fast moving floodway' and no rebuilding will ever be allowed.. The area is returning to nature.

 

I never would have gone along with rebuilding, anyway...never want to chance going thru that again!

 

The county said we could bring in soil and mound it to a height that flood waters would not reach us....or we could build a foundation that in my mind saw us climbing a ladder, to the sky,

to get into our place LOL

 

Does your county still write permits to build in what they consider 'the flood plain'?

 

There are areas in a flood zone that have not flooded, previously for whatever reason, that isn't a guarantee for future floods.

 

Flood insurance, of course, is available.

 

I'd talk long and hard to your county folks - know the potentials so you'd go in with your eyes open.

 

I wish you the best whatever you and Jerry decide.

 

[weebiscuit]

Marty, the first thing I'd do is to be sure you actually can build there by checking your zoning laws and then be sure the land isn't listed in the flood plain. You may think it's not in the flood plain, but please make sure. Our business requires us to constantly check platte books and aerial maps, and we are just stunned at some of the parcels that are listed in the flood plain when they clearly are NOT! But years ago the US Geological Survey made these maps without actually stepping on the land... just looking at aerial shots, and if they saw a creek they'd often mark the land as food plain, ERRONEOUSLY!

Second... we have a creek and about 500' away from our beautiful trout stream is our pond. I have NEVER seen a snake anywhere near our pond or creek, but I find snakes in my yard a couple of times a month, because our house is right on the edge of a very dense forest. Our home is about a quarter of a mile away from our creek and pond. Our pond has just tons of frogs in it, and I think they probably do a really good job of keeping down the mosquitoes as they eat the larva. I've never noticed bugs down there at all, but the pond is in a large open field.

If you move there and keep your grass mowed you shouldn't have that big of a problem with snakes. Heck, our son lives in a beautiful, upscale neighborhood outside of Savanna, GA, and twice in the last year they've had a copperhead in their yard! Snakes can get their drinking water by sucking dew off plant leaves, so I don't think they'd need to congregate at your pond.

 

[Marty]

As I said the entire valley for miles and miles is in the flood zone. We have had this property for about 16 years and checked on all that before we bought it and also have kept an eye on any changes. The county, state and Army Corps of Engineers did a lot of work out that way over the past years to solve a lot of these problems in the valley. We can build anywhere on it that it will perk. And it does perk all over the place so our bases are covered. I told Hus we should just fill in the pond and call it a day. Next thing you know, here will come the alligators again. The gator population is growing here now too! What next?

 

[Minimor]

The flood possibility would probably be the deciding factor for me--especially now when we've just finished up with a once in 300 years flood here. Properties that "never" flood were threatened and would have been lost except for some frantic sandbagging efforts when it became apparent that these areas were going to flood this time around.

If the pond has fresh water flowing into it, it likely won't be real bad for bugs--stagnant water is what brings out the bugs, mosquitoes especially--a slough would be bad for those. Alligators aren't something we'd ever have to worry about here, whether we're along a creek/pond or not...poisonous snakes either. But, you could have rattlers even where you're at now couldn't you? If you have to watch out for rattlers anyway, does the possibility of a moccasin make all that much difference (except for the fact that they might be more aggressive & have a more dangerous venom?) When I was a small child my family lived in rattlesnake country, so I learned at a young age to watch where I walked--I never had any close encounter with a snake, so it wasn't a matter of walking on them wherever we went, just something we had watch for. Grandma's root cellar was a write-off after the rattlers moved into it--that was very nasty!

Diseases--I guess PHF is a bigger risk if you're along a waterway and there are snails, but even here where we don't have snails our horses could get PHF simply by eating a damselfly or some other such bug, so staying away from the water is no guarantee of safety. I don't know anything about possums and their preferred habitat--we don't have them here.

 

[Marty]

Here's the latest and oh boy its just such great news. The people that homesteaded this land and all the land around it, some 1000 acres came to see us working there today. The land has never flooded not even since the Civil War. Oh yippee. And wait! It even gets better. They have seen a few copperheads here and there over the past 50 years or so up in the wooded area. But none really in the pond to speak of because they do fish there a lot. Just an occasional water snake. This is a no-brainer: I'll just put up a sign that says: "No snakes allowed". There are no possums or raccons but there are deer. A guy up the road swears he saw bear a couple years back but the other guy said that guy was drunk and seeing things.

Now this is the totally best part ever: We have dead Indians. Isn't that wonderful? Yes this was part of the Trail of Tears where the Indians lived and they camped at the pond and hunted our wooded area. Its actually all documented. So now do I expect to find dead Indian bones? According to Mr. Homesteaded Land owner, "Yes most likely"...This had to be a joke. So now I'm like okayyyyyyy

I've seen a lot of movies and I know what happens to people when they disturb land that the Indians been on.......

Amazing information. Now I suppose Bigfoot will make his entrance?

Am I staying on the mountain where the most that can happen to me is getting klunked upside the head by a stray banjo? You betcha. This case is closed.