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Shallow Area <br />Brush <br />Pile <br />M- <br />erm <br />Figure 9. Diagram of a small pond. <br />If you have a small pond that is <br />used by wood ducks, mallards, or <br />Canada geese, try keeping one <br />side of the pond mowed. This cre ­ <br />ates a safe loafing and sunning <br />area where they can readily see <br />predators approaching. <br />Wood c jck populations have increased <br />significantly in recent years and may be <br />attracted to small ponds and marshes. <br />^ • S*' <br />;w ^ <br />t' ~ <br />Marshes <br />Marshes are one of the most <br />valuable types of wildlife habitat. <br />These priceless areas provide <br />food, cover and water for dozens <br />of native species — ducks, geese, <br />grebes, herons, yellow'-headed <br />blackbirds, black terns, marsh <br />w rens. Forster s terns, muskrats, <br />minks, raccoons and many others. <br />Marshes capture eroding soil <br />from surrounding fields, thereby <br />purifying water draining into <br />dow nstream areas. Some agricul ­ <br />tural fertilizers and herbicides can <br />also be neutralized by the orga ­ <br />nisms in a marsh because it <br />serves as a natural “kidney.” <br />/Marshland also provides e.xcep- <br />tional opportunities for bird <br />watching, photography, hunting, <br />and trapping. Hunting leases and <br />trapping revenue can generate <br />- significant income for marshland <br />y owners. Some persons are fortu- <br />x: nate enough to own land where <br />£ marshes are already present. For <br />r most agricultural landowners, <br />however, there is nothing more <br />than a drained marsh basin left <br />w here wetlands once existed <br />Marshes can be restored on such <br />s.tt-s through coordination and <br />- ...3 ...in ine unr\, <br />and Agricultural Stabilization and <br />Conservation Service (ASCS). <br />Both state and federal water bank <br />subsidy benefits may be available <br />to qualified landowners who <br />preserve or restore wetlands. <br />Marshes can also be created in <br />areas with favorable topography <br />and soils by building dikes and in­ <br />stalling water control structures. <br />There should also be at least <br />two to four acres of adjacent or <br />nearby grassy nesting cover for <br />each acre of marsh. Waterfow I <br />like mallards and blue-winged <br />teal need upland nesting cover <br />near marshlands. It is not enough <br />just to preserve marshes for wild­ <br />life. The nearby nesting cover is <br />also essential for some species. <br />16. Feeders <br />The finishing touch to a wildlife <br />landscaping plan is an assortment <br />of wildlife feeders which supple ­ <br />ment the foods already provided <br />by trees, shrubs, flowers, and food <br />Marshes are a vitally Important type of <br />wildlife habitat. <br />plots. Wildlife feeders can serve <br />several functions. The most popu ­ <br />lar use is backyard bird feeding to <br />attract birds so they can be seen <br />and enjoyed from within the com ­ <br />fort of your home. More than one- <br />half billion dollars are spent on <br />birdseed every year in the United <br />States, and from 50 to 60 percent <br />of all Midwestern homeowners <br />feed birds. <br />The other type of feeding is to <br />help pheasants and white-tailed <br />deer survive during severe winters <br />bv placing corn feeders for them <br />in or near their winter shelter. <br />This is most frequently done on <br />'* rms and in woodlots rather than