Yeah, Arum, last I heard they were crawlin' all over Maryland, lookin' for back-yard ponds with unsuspecting goldfish and koi in 'em they could count on as easy buffets... From what I understand, some of them not only walk on land, but have also learned to hitchike, hail cabs, hop trains and worst of all, attach themselves upside-down to the underside of any moving vehicle until it gets where they want to be, and then they just drop and roll into the nearest body of water. Be afraid! Be VERY afraid! :-P

When I was young Dad and I would use a net to catch Eastern water snakes. Then we would put them in a pillow case to hold them, and tie the end off. Snakes are surprisingly fragile with their long vertabrae. If you have to "hold" them grab them by the back of the head so they can't coil and bite you. Other members may have better suggestions. Good luck. Lisa

What a beautiful snake. I can't match the color exactly and can't see enough of the head to help but the closest I can get to an ID in my Peterson Field Guide is one of three possibilities. Those are a young Northern Brown Snake or a color variation of an Eastern Ribbon Snake or a color variation of an Eastern Garter Snake. This is the disadvantage of trying to do an ID from a photo comparing it to a photo or painting. To top it off I have no real sense of scale, it can't be turned over and my eyesight is lousy for detail. On the plus side there aren't many snakes to choose from in Ohio. What the picture shows is nothing like a copperhead or rattlesnake which are the only two venomous snakes that might be anywhere near you. I hope this helps at least a little. It was fun trying to find it. Sandy

Algae spores are carried by wind, bugs, birds, etc. and so you will get algae in the new pond no matter what you do. If your filters are dirty, by all means clean them out and move them to the new pond. Use the old pond water so as to avoid killing the beneficial bacteria. If possible, keep some of the old filter media in some non-stagnant water to ensure you keep a lot of the good bacteria alive and then move to new pond when pumps are running.