You can
click on any image for a larger photo.
Cattle
are fenced out of creeks and ponds to cut down on erosion and allow us to
better manage wetland habitat. In
remote areas solar powered pumps fill stock tanks with pond water for
cattle.
A
regular corp. of engineers, the beaver population at Sweetwater maintains
several dams which create an excellent habitat for waterfowl and other
wetland inhabitants.
Fishing
ponds are stocked with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill Bream, and Channel Catfish.
Fish are fed regularly for maximum health and growth.
Sterile Grass Carp were released in the ponds to aid in the control
of aquatic weeds.
Solar
powered wildlife feeders help attract and hold both game and non-game
wildlife year around and provide needed supplemental nutrition during winter
and times of drought. The
feeders are controlled by digital timers which allow us to control the time
and duration of feeding.
A
feeder in one of the wildlife plots along Sweetwater Creek.
Feed plots vary from one half acre to ten acres and are planted for
spring and fall crops each year. Lespedeza,
assorted clovers, rye grass, millet, grain sorghum, sunflowers and chufa are
some of the plantings we use in plots.
Numerous
duck nest boxes are maintained at Sweetwater.
After the nesting season, the boxes are cleaned out and the hatched
eggs are counted to give us some insight on the health of our woodduck
population.
Sweetwater
Plantation gets its name from Sweetwater Creek which flows about two miles
through the property. The clean
consistent flow from this creek provides water and habitat to a wide variety
of wildlife year around.
