How to Make a Wildlife Pond

Learn more about nature by building a wildlife pond in your backyard.

A wildlife pond in your backyard provides you the ability to observe wildlife in a natural setting. Making a wildlife pond is much like building a small zoo in your backyard, because it includes both aquatic life and animals that visit the pond to drink or feed on aquatic life. Unlike a garden pond, a wildlife pond does not have to contain fish or have surrounding flowers and rock work. Building a wildlife pond in your backyard or other outdoor space takes preparations and a few weeks to complete.

Things You'll Need

• Wood stakes
• Plastic ribbon
• Shovel or backhoe
• Pond liner
• Sand
• River pebbles
• Water

Instructions

1. Decide where you wish to place the wildlife pond and ensure that no underground plumbing or underground and overhead wires exist in this place. Stake off the area with wooden stakes, tie a plastic ribbon around the space and take pictures of the staked-off area. Submit the photo and any necessary site drawings to obtain a permit to build the wildlife pond.

2. Hire a professional to dig out the area with a backhoe. Dig the pond at least 2 feet deep in the middle and taper the pond along the edges so no immediate drops exist that would endanger or kill your pets or any unsuspecting wildlife. For safety of small children, consider only making the pond a few feet deep in the deepest parts.

3. Measure the width and depth of the wildlife pond at the furthest points to ensure a properly sized pond liner; measure along the bottom of the pond instead of measuring from the top ledges of the pond.

4. Unroll the pool liner and set it into place inside the dug-out area. Flatten the liner as much as possible and place sand, river pebbles and rock into the bottom of the pond on all slopes and in both the deep and shallow areas of the pond.

5. Fill the wildlife pond with water. Avoid contaminated water or water that is full of chemicals such as chlorine. If possible, use well water or spring water free of bacteria and chemicals.

6. Allow wildlife to find their way to the pond. In the spring, you will notice frogs moving into the pond to lay eggs. Other aquatic life that will soon appear include crayfish, salamanders, turtles and even snakes and water insects.

Tips & Warnings

• Introduce plant life to the wildlife pond by planting cattails and other aquatic plants, or allow these plants to migrate naturally to the pond.

References

• Fish Pond Info: Robyn's Wildlife Pond Page
• Veggie Global: How to Make a Wildlife Pond

Resources

• Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife: The Backyard Wildlife Pond