We LOOOOVE Mapping Marine Life!

World Database on Protected Marine Areas
As you probably have figured out by now, we LOOOOVE mapping marine life.  That's why today we bring you yet another cool way to use maps when researching aquatic life on earth.  A lot of times, we like what Google Maps Mania digs up. For example, take a close look at World Database on Marine Protected Areas.
Did you know that only 0.7 of the world's oceans are protected? The WDPA-Marine wants to provide the most comprehensive set of marine protected areas (MPAs) data available. Part of this effort involves a very cool Google Maps mashup that provides information about the less that 1% of protected ocean.

The map uses shaded polygons to highlight protected ocean areas. For each protected area it is possible to select a number of layers showing coral, mangrove, seagrass and saltmarsh locations. The map also includes layers to display Wikipedia articles, photographs and videos of the selected protected area.
Do you have a map that you'd like to share with us?  We'd love to hear about it!

Mapping Illegal Pools with Google Earth

As you probably know by now, we like maps.  This is yet another awesome map trick-this time involving location of Illegal Pools (found via GEarth Blog).  Apparently illegal pools are frowned upon up north, as the town of Riverhead, NY, located on Long Island, has recently started using Google Earth to track down backyard pools that don't have the proper license.

Away with Geese is A Floating Geese Deterrent

Geese LOVE Your Pond-But You Hate Geese
How do we deal with this problem? Simple. Away With Geese is a floating deterrent

Wanna Know How to Get Rid of Geese (without a shotgun)?

THE SOLUTION =  Away With Geese Light

Water-based Unit
1. Disrupts geese sleep patterns causing them to move to another pond.
2. The product floats in the water and works at night, 7 days a week
3. Solar powered - no changing batteries or running electricity to the site
4. Maintenance free
5. Environmentally Safe and Effective Geese Control
6. Barely noticeable to the human eye
7. Solves Geese Problems quickly
8. Covers 3.5 Acres
9. Light emits in all directions at once

Land-based Unit
1. Eliminates night and early AM congregating by disturbing the geese just enough to encourage them to move to another location
2. Solar powered - no changing batteries or running electricity to the site
3. Stakes securely into the ground and may be placed anywhere in your lawn
4. Maintenance free
5. Environmentally Safe and Effective Geese Control
6. Barely noticeable to the human eye
7. Solves Geese Problems quickly
8. Covers 3.5 Acres
9. Light emits in all directions at once

Lightweight and Easy to Install
What is Away with Geese?
Away With Geese is a simple, compact, and maintenance free way to control Canada Geese on lakes and ponds, effectively eliminating problems of droppings, aggressive behavior, and damage brought by nesting geese.
Unlike other methods used to deter geese, such as: chemical sprays, physical barriers, noise devices, trained dogs, and hunting, Away With Geese has no adverse affects on its environment or humans. Furthermore, it will not tarnish the natural aesthetics of the lake or pond it is protecting. The device is comprised of a solar powered light that flashes once every two seconds, mounted on a flotation device, which is anchored to the bottom of the afflicted pond. The flashing light discourages Canadian Geese from foraging and nesting, causing them to leave and move on to another lake or pond.
The compact device is not only harmless to the environment and ecosystem of the pond, it also is visually innocuous, measuring a mere 15 inches wide and 12 inches above water line. Once Away With Geese is on duty, no work is required to maintain a Canada Geese free environment.
The installation takes five minutes, the light is solar powered, and the housing is factory sealed and impervious to weather conditions. It is really a grounds keeper's dream.
There is a One Year Warranty that covers manufacturing defects.

Away with Geese for 3.5 Acre ponds
3.5 Acre Coverage

The Away With Geese product has an effective range of at least 75 yards in any direction. One unit will service a pond that is up to 3.5 acres in size (about 450 x 450 feet) provided that all areas of the pond are within line-of-sight of the Away With Geese light.






Watch out for Blind Spots

Watch Out for Blind Spots

Some ponds may have inlets or bays where Geese can hide in the edges of the pond. In order to have the light reach these areas, special care must be taken when placing the Away With Geese unit so that hidden areas of the pond are within line-of-sight.





Away With Geese for multiple ponds
Use Multiple Units for Large Ponds or Difficult Areas

Some pond shapes may require two or more units in order to provide complete line-of-sight coverage









Specifications:

Weight: 10 lbs.
Dimensions: 15" Wide, 22" Long, 12"Above Water
Stock Number: AWG-1


You can purchase Away With Geese from the South Santee Aquaculture Store in the toolbar below.

Ways to Calculate Pond Volume and Size

 How to Calculate Pond Size
This is the first in a series by South Santee Aquaculture about the various was for calculating the size or volume of a garden pond.

How to Calculate Water Volume

Remember that water volume is calculated much differently based on the shape of the pond.

Oval Pond ------- Length x Width x Depth x 6.7 = Water Volume

Circle Pond ------ Length x Width x Depth x 5.9 = Water Volume


Rectangle Pond -- Length x Width x Depth x 7.5 = Water Volume

So...if the water depth is not the same for the entire pond, estimate the average depth of the water for the pond and use that number for the depth.

Also if you are going to build an oval pond 16 feet long by 11 feet wide by 2 feet deep, the water volume would be:

11 x 16 x 2 x 6.7 = 2358 Gallons

Why is Calculating Pond Size Important?
The calculation of the size and volume of your pond is important to virtually every aspect involved with keeping it well maintained, such as the fish you buy, how to control aquatic life, staying on top of important cleaning tasks and when purchasing fountains or aeration devices.

What about Calculating size of Irregular Shaped Ponds?
Irregular shaped ponds
This one is a little bit trickier and we will go into some advanced methods of calculating odd or irregular shaped ponds in the near future.  However, what I will tell you is Irregular shaped garden ponds are calculated using "squares". This is a bit tedious done manually but with the help of South Santee Aquaculture it can be greatly simplified and the results for your garden ponds volume are very accurate when care is taken.  Contact us with questions about your pond.

The system relies upon this basic formula ...
Pond Volume = Surface Area x Average Depth.

The challenge lies in calculating the surface area accurately which is easy if the shape is a square or round say. But for complex shapes an estimate of area has to be made using the "count the squares" technique.


Related Posts of Interest:
Yearly Pond Maintenance Calendar





Yearly Pond Maintenance Calendar

Here is a nice way to stay on top of the various maintenance tasks involved with having a healthy garden pond-our yearly pond maintenance calendar!  Add this calendar to your iGoogle or subscribe by email and it will automatically send you an alert to your email on the days that you have new tasks that you should focus on, when keeping a well-managed pond environment.



On our end, we will maintain this calendar as well, adding important notifications and tips for keeping a well maintained pond as they become available. Maintaining a clean, healthy and sustainable pond environment has never been so easy! If you have any questions or concerns, just drop us a line on our website. South Santee Aquaculture is dedicated to promoting safer and heathier solutions for aquatic environments.