WATERFORD — A Private Pond Construction and Trout Stocking Workshop will be held Saturday, April 14, at the Waterford Municipal Building, 366 Valley Road.
Beginning at 9 a.m. Candace Gilpatric, Natural Resource Conservation Service Agricultural Engineer, will lead a workshop on Ponds — Planning, Design and Construction. Some of the topics covered will include water needs, safety issues, controlling wildlife, minimizing erosion and spillways.
Sonny Pierce, Shy Beaver Hatchery, will then lead the next portion of the workshop and help attendees make sure their ponds have what is needed to stock trout. Pierce spent his career with IF&W and will share his knowledge of trout and trout habitat.
Orders for delivery of rainbow, brown or brook trout to private ponds are being accepted and will be delivered directly to a pond by Pierce Associates/Shy Beaver Hatchery of West Buxton. A Permit to Stock from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is required and may be obtained by going to the website.
The workshops will include time for individual questions and answers. The morning class time will end at noon and be followed by lunch and a field trip to a local private pond for a “walk and talk.” Check-in for the day is 8:30 to 9 a.m.
A registration fee of $20 a family for the day includes materials, snacks and lunch. Preregistration by Tuesday, April 10, is required.
To register, call Oxford County Soil & Water Conservation District at 207-744-3119, email oxfordcountyswcd@gmail.com, or at the office at 17 Olson Road, South Paris.
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