Here is a panarama view of "Dougster Swamp" pieced together from 5 separate photos sweeping left to right taken in the spring of 2006 from a second story window of my house. This was intended as a planning photo for the "backyard reclamation" project that eventually led me to consider buying a compact tractor (after the lowest landscape contractor's cost estimate for the initial work we wanted was ~$11,000.00).
But as many of you already know, circumstances changed radically for me in mid- to late-2006. Under increasing evidence of an impending layoff, I bought a tractor... but bought much bigger than I needed for this one project with the thoughts that: a) We could use the tractor to improve raw land we were considering buying elsewhere, and b) I could possibly make a part-time/post-layoff business out of it with the right machine. The layoff did happen very soon after... and the rest is history.
For several reasons, the "backyard reclamation" project never really got started as originally envisioned. I mean... it did, but it didn't. Weather, health, post-layoff finances and business start-up activities and obligations never really cooperated... and some of the necessary equipment didn't arrive until mid-summer 2007... and then some turned out to be unusable.
With much better luck and better business planning, I would hope to post an "after" picture by the fall of 2008.
Dougster
But as many of you already know, circumstances changed radically for me in mid- to late-2006. Under increasing evidence of an impending layoff, I bought a tractor... but bought much bigger than I needed for this one project with the thoughts that: a) We could use the tractor to improve raw land we were considering buying elsewhere, and b) I could possibly make a part-time/post-layoff business out of it with the right machine. The layoff did happen very soon after... and the rest is history.
For several reasons, the "backyard reclamation" project never really got started as originally envisioned. I mean... it did, but it didn't. Weather, health, post-layoff finances and business start-up activities and obligations never really cooperated... and some of the necessary equipment didn't arrive until mid-summer 2007... and then some turned out to be unusable.
With much better luck and better business planning, I would hope to post an "after" picture by the fall of 2008.
Dougster
Of course, in some parts west and south of here water is a primary concern. 
Irrigation involves diking and flooding the whole field.
We've gotten input & info from several sources about how best to turn Dougster Swamp into usable land. These products fit well into the general plan as to how such things are apparently done.