Although climate change is pushing back the start of
skating (and fishing) season on lakes and ponds, there’s a safe and relatively fast way to get safe ice for skating once temperatures do drop
below freezing. Flood a flat field. Some people use a plastic liner to hold the water, and perhaps lumber to make rink boards. On a saturated field
with a low area, a liner may be unnecessary. This town green is flooded every winter, and the skating pond goes away in spring.

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“Pond building may be one of the best uses of fossil fuel we can make today.”

POND PERFECT

Landscaping Earth Ponds:
The Complete Guide
& The Earth Ponds DVD

Review by Peter Bane
The Permaculture Activist

This is Tim Matson’s fourth book on ponds and perhaps the most beautiful yet. Showcasing a range of natural features that might enhance the aesthetic of a country pond, he nonetheless manages to include a lot of useful information for pond builders. Handsome color photos throughout illustrate stone embankments, edge vegetation, specimen trees, benches, and mountain backdrops, while including a few buildings, docks, and other bits of built infrastructure. A handful of nicely executed line drawings show design features, plans, bridge variations, underground connections, and other elements not easily photographed. Read more...

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"Aside from some particularly thoughtful frogs and phragmites, no one on earth knows more about ponds than Tim Matson." Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma