The Fence Post

Now, moving a little further afield--

According to Lockheed Martin:

"Low-earth orbit is crowded with active satellites and thousands of pieces of debris due to collisions and deterioration of defunct satellites and rocket boosters. Traveling at speeds upwards of 15,000 mph, that debris threatens not only commercial satellites, which we depend on for everything from weather forecasting, banking, global communications and GPS navigation, but also military assets that help monitor and protect nations around the world."

Old stone walls are sometimes referred to as stone fences, a common sight in New England. They can be found: 

• along roadways and hiking trails
• marking property and field boundaries
• surrounding cemeteries

They run through the deep woods and up into the mountains - a silent testimony to the untold hours of sweat and hard labor spent in getting the land to yield sustenance.

Up comes a fresh batch of rocks...

As land was cleared, rocks and boulders had to be moved to create fields for crops and grazing animals. Each spring a new "crop" of rocks was thrust to the surface by the winter's frost. Either moved by hand or with the aid of draft horses or teams of oxen, stones were moved no further than necessary.

The accumulation of rocks was piled along fence lines separating fields and defining property boundaries. Often these walls or fences were no more than elongated piles of rocks. After the farms became more prosperous, the piles were rebuilt into the more aesthetically pleasing walls that can be seen today.

Condos for Wildlife 

The walls were fashioned without mortar and relied on the shape of the rocks to create stability. Over the years, some walls were dismantled and the stones were used for other projects. The untouched walls settled and tumbled down, becoming encrusted with moss and lichens. They are a habitat for many types of wildlife--small creatures take refuge in the crevices, spaces, and tunnels. Mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and weasels are residents, as you may notice and their tracks will be in evidence. The walls may serve as a system of trails by larger animals or foxes may deposit scat on or around the walls to alert others. As temperatures climb, spiders, worms, and insects use the stonewalls for shelter while tree frogs and snakes take refuge as well--hibernating beneath during the winter months. 

A Silent Legacy 

Today stone walls or fences have become a cultural icon. Many contemporary landscape designs incorporate this feature, though they can lack the aesthetic charm of the traditional walls. The farmers who built them have passed on, yet what a legacy and marker the walls make for us and future generations, and in many cases they still serve as boundaries and evidence of past times. 

Do you have any stone walls on your property?  Do you think stone walls make an effective fence?

Take a walk or hike in the New England countryside and stone walls will no doubt be a part of your experience. 

Easy Counting

A counting fence is a live trap fence used in rivers to capture salmon and trout. This results in an accurate count of the number of fish present. Sometimes V-shaped, it extends across the river's entire width. As the fish swim up or down the river they are caught in a box-like trap structure where they can be easily counted.

The following video shows a counting fence on Morrison Creek the day after heavy rains. The fence has been dislocated somewhat by the higher water level. It gives you an idea of how this fence works.

River Counting Fence The counting fence is a live trap fence which is composed of rebar and is v-shaped. It extends across the entire length of the river with a box-like/trap structure in the centre. It's function is to trap and count adult salmon and trout that return to the river to spawn

Old and New 

On the Babine River in British Columbia, a counting fence has been in place since 1946. In early July, 4' x 7' aluminum panels that make the fence are installed along the 330' permanent frame. 6' x 8½' trap boxes are installed next. Then the count begins.

A newer design is a floating fence. When leaves, branches, or logs float downstream, the fence submerges so that the debris slides over the fence rather than getting caught and clogging the fence causing a blowout. The fence is removed when not in use.

While we're on the subject of counting fish, here's some great info on tracking Pacific Northwest salmon. 

Have you ever seen a counting fence in use?

A Life Between

Years ago, The Smithsonian put together a traveling exhibit entitled Between Fences. As it was explained in the exhibit's publicity article.

"We live between fences. We may hardly notice them, but they are dominant features in our lives and in our history. Thousands of types have been invented, millions of miles have been produced, and countless rivals have seized post, rail, panel, and wire to stake their claims. In 1871, the Department of Agriculture estimated the total value of fences in the United States at 1.7 billion, a sum almost equal to the national debt. Our past is defined by the cutting point of barbed steel and the staccato rhythm of the white picket. Built of hedge, concrete, wood, metal, and stone, the fence skirts our properties and is central to the American landscape.

Fence Function

The United States as we know it could not have been settled and built without fences; they continue to be an integral part of the nation. Fences stand for security: we use them to enclose our houses and neighborhoods. They are decorative structures that are as much part of the landscape as trees and flowers are. Industry and agriculture without fences would be difficult to imagine. Private ownership of land would be an abstract concept. But fences are more than functional objects. They are powerful symbols. The way we define ourselves as individuals and as a nation becomes concrete in how we build fences." Focusing on all regions of the United States, common and uncommon fencing includes various types of residential, agricultural and industrial fencing. A fence has a historical and contemporary impact and fences are instrumental in changing the American landscape.

At a historical and most basic level, fences are a practical means of defense and protection. Visually, fences tell us that we are approaching land that is set apart, is owned, defined, and not to be crossed. Fences are not static entities. They represent viable interest at the behest of those who control the land and must be reinforced time and again. A well-maintained fence indicates the owner's continuing investment, whereas an old, rickety fence tells us that those on the inside are vulnerable or neglectful and that the preservation of the fence line may be in jeopardy.  In our protection, fences keep us from incident, most obviously, from falling, indicating that our movement in the world must be regulated, that our freedom to explore is limited and in a fence, we are given a warning both symbolic and pragmatic.

And Spite Fences

A new concept for me was the phenomenon of " Spite Fences." This is when a neighbor builds a fence to purposefully antagonize his neighbors. The neighbors feel cut off from the angry builder of the fence and possibly from other neighbors. If the fence is unattractive, the general response of the neighborhood as a whole may be affected. Court cases that involved such disputes were difficult to measure, as the offense was for the most part psychological. In the U.S., the blocking of light and air is generally not considered an offense as it can be in other countries. Other than obeying local codes on the height of a fence, blocking the view of a neighboring yard is not a cause for official complaint. A major directive on fence building is that it not cause injury to others. However, some states have adopted ordinances regarding spite fences and have created some guidelines. In these cases, it must be established that the fence is solely built to antagonize and has no practical or seemly purpose. It is up to the defendant to prove that the fence has a function other than to perturb those living nearby.

For more on this subject, look at our blog, Spite Fences. 

That fence, is it really necessary?

 "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost

On a spring day, Frost and his neighbor are walking along and repairing the stone wall that marked the boundary between their properties. Freezing and thawing of the ground during winter months dislodge stones from walls. Repair and replacement are a spring ritual. Here the poem is excerpted--Frost is wondering if a fence is really necessary:

There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.

Frost asks: 'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.'

Despite the sentiment of this familiar quotation, there is no guarantee that good fences make good neighbors. In Melbourne Australia, the leading cause of disputes between neighbors is caused by fences. Disputes can get out of hand and escalate into a grudge match. When a state or local government erects a fence, abutters and neighbors often take offense. Sometimes, as an act of protest or to prove a point, a property owner will put up a fence that aggravates and upsets people.

Things to think about when you are considering a fence:

• Is a fence really necessary?
• What should the fence look like?
• Is it needed to fence something in?
• What impact will it have on abutters?
• Is it necessary to keep something out?
• What are the zoning or code requirements or limitations?
• Are there any identifiable issues that may cause problems in the future?

Have you ever experienced negative reactions to fencing you may have installed? How did you resolve them?

Is there something "that doesn't love a wall, that wants it down"?

Do you think good fences make good neighbors?