Customer Reviews

Lake and Pond Management Guidebook

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is that guy from AM1500 KSTP... Garage Logic, with Joe Soucheray. He goes by "The Lake Detective", and all he does is lakes, I guess. He's found a great niche in MN, land of 10,000 of 'em. Being a lakeshore owner, I've already used some of his techniques to keep my shore in great shape. The beauty of a lot of his approaches is that the solutions mostly seem pretty low-tech and inexpensive. But that's a good thing. I didn't have to rent expensive equipment to get my shore cleared, and the results have been great.

Color pictures would help, but the black-n-whites do the job, I guess. This $80 book saved me hundreds (maybe thousands) from what I was going to do to 'fix up' my shore... Money well spent!

A GLer in St. Paul

Absolutely the last word in pond or small lake creation and maintenance. For both the amateur and professional landscaper. Well worth the steep price.

I really wanted to like this book. I am an aquatic ecologist and grew up in northern Minnesota--from where the author also hails. I am a consultant and though I have many "science" books about lakes and streams, I thought I would purchase this text (partially due to the reviews already posted here) as a reference for pond management. My overall rating of the book is poor, but there are many little bits of knowledge that might be interesting to some readers... but you could find much of this information elsewhere.

Problem 1: Composition

The composition is haphazard. The text begins like a light hearted philosophy of a lake-lover--as if the author were attempting to share a Thoreau moment with the reader. He also uses technical sounding jargon that makes you believe that the document is going to provide an insightful and critical review of various pond and lake management strategies. For example, the text begins:

"Lakes are fun. They are enjoyed from both a passive and active perspective. What is implied but not always stated is that the lake experience encompasses more than just the lake. It is the lake that setting that makes the lake experience unique. Otherwise we would only need to visit the YMCA pool to get the lake feeing. Although the pool is fun, is not the same as a lake."

Thank you for stating the obvious! Lakes are indeed different from swimming pools. The text reads like a series of examples provided in a technical writing class--examples of how NOT to write. A critical re-writing would have improved the manuscript dramatically. I am surprised that CRC Press let this book get published in its current condition.

Problem 2: Content

Many of the topics are not dealt with in sufficient detail to actually allow managers use this text as a guidebook. For example, there is a section on weed removal. At one point the author mentions the merits of leaving native aquatic vegetation behind when removing nuisance weeds. However, the author never mentions how to identify even a few of the invasive species that managers (land owners) are likely to encounter. This lack of substance is something that any one with a rudimentary understanding of aquatic biology is likely to notice immediately--answers to the obvious questions are omitted. Similarly landowners might like more detail on how to make some to the "Homemade" structures he recommends to protect shorelines (and other projects) but there is not sufficient detail to enable most people to follow up on these projects.

The author's coverage of fecal coliform contamination is as follows. (1) Fecal coliform can indicate there is potential contamination. (2) Determine the source of contamination. (3)Remove the source of contamination. All of this is covered in fewer words than I used for this review.

The author also has a hard time staying on topic. He dwells on methods to keep herbivores from eating trees. Lime's disease, a terrestrial tick-carried disease, receives a full 3 pages. He superficially discusses bug-zappers, mosquito survey devices, bat house, and tractors.

Honestly, if the author toned his sentences to efficiently convey information, and stayed on topic, the book could have been ½ as long--leaving room to add needed depth to each topic. I apologize for the long review, but I tried to critique this book several times in the past and ran out of time; I felt that since my review was not positive that I should be explain in detail.

I cannot at this time recommend a alternative text, but given the price of this book, most readers might be better off to purchase a limnology book. Email me and I might be able to recommend an alternative book.

Lake and Pond Management by Steve McComas is an excellent reference for cooperative extension advisors, soil and water conservation district staff, lake association representatives, and other watershed managers. Licensed commercial pesticide applicators who are considering broadening their credentials to the aquatic pest control category would also find this Guidebook a valuable addition to their reference libraries. As a retired university farm advisor and riverfront landowner, I found this book highly educational - and well worth the price.

Steve Sutter

Presque Isle, Maine

I have used the book for seven years and it still holds up. I understood that this was a guidebook and would not cover all aspects of a project. That's fine. I didn't want to read an encyclopedia. If I need to identify a plant species, there are 50 sources on the internet that can do that. However, this book is one of the few sources that gives me the high number of options of how to manage that plant . . . or fish . . . or algae.

Whether one likes the writing style or not is subjective. I need the essential information and that is there.

I also like the projects about terrestrial topics that contribute to the lake setting. Discussion of ticks, deer and wildlife all pertain to the lake environment and the lake experience. That's handy.

Overall, I saved $100 on my first project because of this book. It has paid for itself many times.