 Just as HDT wrote
those words over 150 years ago,
today many lead such lives, even in the midst of the highest standards of
living in the greatest country on Earth. On Walden Pond, he wrote of the
essence of life and of the journey that defines a meaningful life.
On
Meadowlark Ranch, the journey of life flows with vibrancy, meaning, and ever
changing opportunities for learning. The ponds are an integral part of that
entire journey. They are a wonder unto themselves, each representing a system
of ever changing life. To fully realize the wonders of the ponds, however, they
must be viewed and managed as a "system of systems". The use of the term
"system of systems" is widely applied today in describing large organizations
and major engineering development projects.
The Space Shuttle Program which
is made up of several highly complex systems called
elements can serve as an example. The elements
include the Orbiter, the External Tank, the Solid
Rocket Boosters, the Main Engines, etc., etc. Each
of the elements integrates into a system which then
executes the defined objectives. In
the context of ponds, the elements are driven first
by the objectives.
By viewing multiple ponds as a
system of systems, one can achieve objectives that may otherwise be
unachievable. In my case, I seek multiple objectives from my ponds including:
1)
a place where kids can learn (and be hooked on fishing),
2) a place where a
large diversity of fishing is available to excite anglers of all skill levels,
challenge them, and provide of source of excellent, healthy eating
3) a place
where the skilled angler using fly fishing techniques can experience catch
rates of 10 predator fish per hour with a 50% chance of one fish exceeding 5
pounds each hour of fishing.
The above objectives drive the
requirements for elements including:
1) A Kid's pond , Half-pint, which
today offers
spectacular fishing opportunity for the young and young at heart to fish for
the Texas Georgia Giants .
2) A diverse pond,
Nova pond which offers some of the greatest CNBG
fishing available anywhere along with large Florida strain LMB, and
a few HSB .
3) Performance ponds
which are 2 to 4 acres each and are stocked with
predators and forage to meet objective 3 above.
Relatively simple mathematical models and several
years of simulations have established the need for
3 to 5 of these ponds in order to adequately meet
that objective. Walden and Nova pond
currently exist and Pipeline Pond will be completed in
'07. Whether or not a fourth and fifth performance pond is
required is TBD at this point.
4) Genetics ponds are
about ¾ of an acre in area and contain pure
strains of replacement fish of the highest genetic
quality available.
One
genetics pond is devoted to native LMB and native
BG and currently exists as Methusela. The
other genetics pond is intended to be completed in
'07 and will contain pure strain Florida LMB and
pure strain Florida CNBG. .
5) A
forage system which relies on CNBG, native
BG, Gambusia, and Tilapia. The Tilapia are a key
ingredient in meeting the requirements of the
overall system which includes minimum artificial
feeding and use of chemicals. ( see fish segment)
6)
A
pond maintenance element which is defined
as the fish which enables control of weeds and
algae without use of any chemicals. (see fish
segment)
I invite you now to read about
each component of this system of systems and how it is being implemented on
Meadowlark Ranch.
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