Even within non-golf communities, we have encountered people who prefer a “clean,” mowed-to-the-edge look for their neighborhood pond, but a well-designed and properly maintained vegetated buffer comprising native species actually can be very attractive. A vegetated buffer is simply an area directly adjacent to a water body in which plants are allowed to flourish. A buffer may include a variety of aquatic, herbaceous, shrub and tree species; native species are always the best choice. Just as important as offering an appealing natural look, vegetated buffers provide many benefits for the water body and the ecosystem:
All of these benefits can reduce maintenance costs over the long term by preventing or slowing some of the most common problems faced by urban lakes and ponds. The recognition of the value and function of vegetated buffers by golf course and turf grass management professionals represents an important turn. As more courses adopt this approach, public perception of what makes a water feature visually appealing should evolve as well.
]]>Swans may appear to be "tame," but are known to fiercely defend their nests and a surrounding area of up to four acres. This behavior may adversely affect native waterfowl populations, with whom the swans also compete for aquatic vegetation as a food source. In addition, swans that are fed by humans can become belligerent when the feeding ends and may get aggressive in seeking handouts. Mute Swans are now marketed as deterrents for nuisance populations of Canada geese (for more information about Canada geese problems and deterrence methods, click here). However, in our experience geese and swans often find a way to co-exist; while there is certainly anecdotal evidence of swans behaving aggressively toward geese in their territory, Canada geese are extremely adaptable.
]]>The most prevalent species of shark found in freshwater is the bull shark. There is also a group of rare species found in the Eastern hemisphere collectively known as “river sharks.” All of the so-called freshwater sharks are actually marine sharks; although they may live for long periods in freshwater, studies indicate that they return to the ocean to breed. Still, give the freshwater sharks some credit: that any marine shark is able to survive in freshwater for an extended period is a remarkable feat of adaptation that involves taking in (and excreting) water at 20 times the rate of a typical marine shark1.
Bull sharks tend to stick to coastal areas – they’re regularly found in brackish Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans – but have been documented as far north on the Mississippi River as Alton, Illinois. Anecdotal (and unproven) stories of bull sharks abound: in Lake Michigan in Chicago; under a frozen lake in Minnesota; and even in downtown Albany, Georgia, via the Flint River. It is believed that the infamous Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, one of which occurred in a creek 16 miles inland, were perpetrated by bull sharks (although a great white got the credit in “Jaws,” the book and movie inspired by the incidents).
No need to stop swimming in rivers, lakes and ponds, though. Bull shark attacks in general are statistically rare, and rarer still in freshwater bodies. And our man-made neighborhood impoundments are certainly shark-free.
1Viegas, J. “Freshwater Sharks: Big Fish Where You Least Expect Them.” Discovery Shark Guide. 2010.
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