D. J. Herda is a professional freelance writer and president of the American Society of Authors and Writers (http://amsaw.org). A former syndicated gardening columnist, he is author of numerous books and magazine and newspaper articles on gardening, including water gardening. He is a former test grower for Jackson & Perkins and other companies and is author of the book, Zen and the Art of Pond Building.

Herda has built, stocked, planted, and tended numerous ponds, streams, waterfalls, fountains, spillways, and other water features over the past ten years (both indoors and out) and presently tends two large man-made outdoor ponds stocked with koi and goldfish. He also keeps several goldfish and two large, rambunctious "plecos" in an indoor aquarium.

Visitors to his ponds include frogs, toads, raccoons, skunks (they don´t stay long), snakes, lizards, birds, inquisitive neighbors, and the occasional stray dog. Oh, yes...and, once, an escaped ferret that was apprehended and returned to its grateful owner.

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