Join us for our annual Pond Construction and Management Workshop, located at Inn Along the Way in Damariscotta.

Classroom Session: 9 AM - Noon
Bring Your Own Lunch: 12 - 12:30 PM
Field walk: 12:30 - 2:00 PM

If you have ever considered adding a pond to your property - whether it be for wildlife, irrigation or recreation - this is the workshop for you! You will hear from expert presenters including Candi Gilpatric, Agricultural Engineer, and Joe Dembeck, fisheries biologist and conservation professional. In this workshop, participants learn how to build and maintain a pond to enhance their landscape, increase biodiversity, maximize wildlife habitat, and help reach water management goals.

Engineer Candi Gilpatric will focus on site selection, styles of ponds, and construction methods. For those who already have ponds, Candi will discuss helpful maintenance practices to keep ponds safe and healthy. Biologist Joe Dembeck will focus on pond biology and the wildlife associated with ponds in Maine. He will discuss pond habitat features for aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, fish considerations, nuisance wildlife, and how healthy ponds can support conservation goals.

Cost: $35. Includes the comprehensive NRCS guide, “Ponds: Planning, Design, and Construction”, in addition to other learning materials.

Speaker Biographies

Candi Gilpatric has over 25 years of experience as an Agricultural Engineer for Maine Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and currently operates her own private engineering business. She has assisted hundreds of farmers and other producers with planning, designing, and implementing conservation practices and systems, including irrigation ponds. In addition to her technical expertise, Candi is an excellent presenter with a knack for translating higher-level engineering concepts to diverse audiences.

Joe Dembeck holds a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Water Resources Management and has decades of experience in conservation and fisheries biology. Joe was director of Somerset County Soil & Water Conservation District for over seven years following a 20-year career as a fisheries biologist in positions with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife and an environmental consulting firm. Now retired, Joe has continued his work in conservation, serving on the Somerset County SWCD Board of Supervisors and sharing his expertise through speaking engagements including pond construction and apple pruning workshops.