Farm Ponds Work for Wildlife

Farm ponds are used to water livestock, raise fish, prevent soil

erosion, and provide recreation, but their value to amphibians

and other wildlife is often overlooked. Although they are

constructed, not natural wetlands, farm ponds provide a

wide range of conservation and wildlife habitat values.

This brochure is intended to advise landowners of the

multiple values of small farm ponds and provide useful

tips on management for wildlife. Landowners

interested in building or maintaining farm ponds should

contact their local USDA Service Center.

Farm Ponds Recycle Nutrients and Prevent Erosion

Farm ponds trap nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and

sediment before they reach rivers, streams, and lakes as pollutants. A

vegetated buffer strip of fallow land between the pond and adjacent

cropland supports wildlife and helps filter out sediment and nutrients

before they reach the pond. Emergent plants growing in ponds also

help recycle nitrogen and phosphorus and improve water quality. Also,

in hilly areas, farm ponds help prevent gully development.

Farm Ponds Provide Water for Livestock

Landowners often use farm ponds as a water source for livestock. Livestock pollute the

water with manure, disturb aquatic vegetation, and break down the banks, sometimes leading to failure of the

dike or embankment supporting the pond. Water quality is better and the pond ecosystem healthier if livestock

are fenced out of the pond and water from ponds is pumped to a nearby stock tank. Contact your local USDA

Service Center for more information.

Farm Ponds Provide Habitat for Wildlife

A chorus of frogs is one of the many pleasures of rural life in the spring

and summer. Farm ponds, especially shallow ponds without fish, provide

important breeding habitat for amphibians (frogs and salamanders).

Unfortunately, ponds managed for fish production do not make good

habitat for most amphibian species. Fish eat tadpoles and bullfrogs eat

other frogs, so ponds lacking these species provide the best habitat for

most amphibians. Farm ponds also provide habitat for other species of

wildlife, including deer, fox, raccoons, turkeys, wood ducks, tree swallows,

shorebirds, and turtles.

Farm Pond Design

Your local USDA Service Center is available to help

design a pond appropriate for your watershed and

meeting your management goals. Avoid

construction that will affect natural wetlands or

flowing streams, which are protected under state

and federal laws. Ponds should have some shallow

water providing breeding habitat for amphibians,

mudflats for migrating shorebirds, and access to water

for many wildlife species. Landowners must make choices

about how to vegetate dikes and buffer strips. Plants native to the local area best provide for the needs of

native wildlife and are less likely to be invasive. Maintaining the integrity of dikes or embankments will

increase the longevity of the pond. Dikes can be undermined by animal burrows and tree and shrub roots. Trees

and shrubs, however, are important wildlife habitats and may be planted in the buffer strip.
Produced by: U.S. Geological Survey

 Upper Midwest Environmental Science Center

 www.umesc.usgs.gov

USGS Fact Sheet 043-02

 June 2002

BbBrochure photographs courtsey of:

Allen Sheldon

Fred Kollmann

Farm Ponds

 Work for

 Wildlife

Farm Ponds

 Work for

 Wildlife

Selected Resources:

Deal, C., J. L. Edwards, N. Pellmann, R. Tuttle, and D. Woodward. 1997. Ponds - Planning, Design, Construction. Agriculture Handbook No. 590. M. Mattinson, L. Glasscock, J. Massey, and

W. Pierce, Editors. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington DC.

Kingsbury, B., and J. Gibson, Editors. 2002. Habitat management guidelines for amphibians and reptiles of the Midwest. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Midwest Working

Group, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

USDA Wildlife Habitat Management Institute: http://www.ms.nrcs.usda.gov/whmi/

Technical assistance on constructing and maintaining farm ponds is available at your local USDA Service Center. .....NRCS website: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/

Federal and state agencies are equal opportunity employers.

Managing Farm Ponds for Biodiversity

• Gently sloping shorelines support more wildlife

diversity.

• Plant native grasses and flowers in a wide buffer

strip.

• Brush piles, logs, trees, and shrubs in adjacent

buffer strips provide habitat for wildlife.

• Keep dikes and embankments clear of woody

vegetation and animal burrows.

• Install nest boxes to attract cavity-nesting birds.

• Fence out cattle and don’t introduce fish.

• Install low-cost water pump and use a stock tank

to water livestock.

USDANRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service

Funding provided through the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources and in cooperation with the

following agencies: