CLEMSON — The Clemson University Center for Watershed Excellence, Clemson Online and the Cooperative Extension Service have opened registration for the fall Master Pond Manager course beginning Sept. 21.

The course provides pond owners and managers with information and hands-on practice to improve recreational and stormwater pond function while ensuring appropriate management practices are in place to protect downstream waterways, said Guinn Wallover, program coordinator and water resources agent with Clemson Extension. The course couples hands-on field training with online instruction.

Field training will be conducted in the Midlands.

The program is intended for pond owners, pond management professionals, community staff, stormwater managers, landscapers, contractors, property managers, park staff, planners and developers.

Course instruction includes recreational pond design and construction; stormwater pond design, inspection and maintenance; limnology and water quality; integrated aquatic plant management; best management practices for stormwater ponds; and fish management.

Master Pond ManagerThe course is available in two tracks. The Master Pond Manager certification track includes a full six-week slate of courses and two field days, with participants eligible to receive three hours of recertification credits toward a Category 5 pesticide license.

Individuals who successfully complete this course track are recognized as certified managers. The cost is $500.

An abbreviated Letter of Completion in Management track is available to pond owners, such as homeowners association board members or recreational pond owners, who wish to gain knowledge without the rigor of the full certification program.

This track, which costs $250, includes a four-module online learning course coupled with a field day curriculum.

For more information, visit www.clemson.edu/public/watershed/training/mpm/ or review the course syllabus. Registration is available online at www.clemson.edu/public/watershed/training/mpm/register.html until Sept. 9.

Students of the Master Pond Manager course participate in field training.
http://pickenssentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/web1_cupondmanager.jpgStudents of the Master Pond Manager course participate in field training. Photo courtesy of Clemson University

This story provided by Clemson University.