Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District
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Posts tagged "restoration"

Native Plant Restorations: Patience Pays Off!

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - May 7, 2021 - News

Native plant restorations often don’t look like much the first couple of years. The plants are busy establishing their deep root systems which are so great at preventing erosion and allowing water to filter into the soil. Once their roots are established underground, then the plants invest their energies into robust above ground growth and flowering.

Out at Spring Lake Town Hall on the shores of Fish Lake, the native prairie and shoreline restoration areas seeded in fall 2019 are moving into their second growing season. This year the plants will continue to develop their root systems and you will start to see some more action above around too. Later this summer, look for the bright yellow flowers of Black-eyed Susans which are commonly seen early in a site’s restoration. As time goes on, other prairie favorites will follow, especially as the site moves into years three and four.

With native plants patience is key, but very worth it!

This restoration project was partially funded by a Conservation Partners Legacy thanks to the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment’s Outdoor Heritage Fund. The project is a partnership between PLSLWD and Spring Lake Township.

View Full Article Fish Lake, Spring Lake Town Hall, Spring Lake Township, native plants, native prairie, prairie restoration, restoration, shoreline, shoreline restoration

Native Prairie Workshop Webinar: July 23

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - June 25, 2020 - News

Would you like to see your lawn transformed native flowers, and support pollinators and Minnesota wildlife? 

Join the Scott Soil & Water Conservation District for a FREE Native Prairie Workshop Webinar on July 23 at 6:30 pm. Register for the free workshop here.

Learn about site preparation, how to get your planting started, receive maintenance tips and find out more about possible funding.

You do not need to live on a large property to create natural areas, help pollinators and enhance wildlife habitat. Something as small as a half-acre of your lawn or as large as a 10 acre or more crop field can be converted to beautiful and environmentally beneficial native grasses and flowers! Even a smaller patch of native plants in your backyard is beneficial for pollinators.

Contact the Scott SWCD for more information about the webinar or starting your project at 952-492-5425.

View Full Article Water quality, cost-share, cost-share funding, native, native plants, native prairie, pollinators, prairie, prairie restoration, restoration

Shorts Family Stabilizes their Prior Lake Shoreline with Long Roots of Native Plants

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - September 13, 2018 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

Article written by Scott SWCD staff.

Once the water receded after the flooding in 2014, Chris Short went out to survey the damage in his backyard.  It was worse than he expected.  The retaining wall that was installed in 1990 to keep the shoreline in place, was now sitting in a heap on the edge of Prior Lake. The photo at right was taken in August 2016.

The high-water levels during the 2014 flood caused the wall to collapse, leaving the bank completely exposed.  The edge of the lawn that had been against the wall was now breaking off in chunks and falling into the lake.  He knew he needed to take action because the erosion was not going to stop on its own.  Chris did not necessarily like the idea of putting in another retaining wall because the last one failed when it was needed most.

Chris wanted something that would look nice and require minimal maintenance, plus stand up to flooding, wave action, and overland flow.   After asking around to see who could help him with his shoreline, Chris was directed to the Scott Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) in Jordan.  He attended a free shoreline stabilization workshop they held in the fall of 2016 and began to work with Scott SWCD employee Todd Kavitz.

Todd proposed reshaping the shoreline to make it less steep, then planting the area to native plants.  Native plants have very long roots, which make them great shoreline stabilizers because those roots hold the soil in place.  Plus, once established, native plantings have beautiful flowers and are great wildlife habitat.  Chris liked the idea because it would “create a natural setting while helping to clean up Prior Lake.”  The Scott SWCD worked with Chris to create a design for the shoreline that would work for him and fix his erosion problem.

Scott SWCD assisted Chris in applying for cost-share for 75% of the cost of the shoreline stabilization project, which he received.

The cost-share funds were made available by the Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed District.

Because of the technical and financial help Chris received, he was able to naturally stabilize his shoreline. The photo at left was taken August 2018. The area was regraded and planted to native seeds in June of 2017.  This spring 72 native plant plugs were added near the bottom of the shoreline for additional stabilization.  Native plantings take a few years to get established, and just over a year has passed since Chris seeded his shoreline.  Chris has had to do some work on his shoreline this summer, including clipping the planting down before the weeds in the planting went to seed.  With a few more years of maintenance, the shoreline will become even more beautiful and will continue to stabilize the shoreline for years to come.  For Chris, putting in a native shoreline is worth it because the native plants are good for the lake and he gets to see the flowers in bloom.

If you live on a lake and would like to create a more natural shoreline, contact the Scott SWCD at 952-492-5425.  They can help you design a native shoreline that works for you, and financial assistance may be available.  You can do your part for water quality and beautify your shoreline!

View Full Article Lake, Prior Lake, lakeshore, long roots, native, native plants, restoration, shoreline, stabilize

What did PLSLWD do in 2017? Check out our 2017 Annual Report!

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - May 2, 2018 - Ongoing Projects, News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

The 2017 Annual Report is out! What to know what the District accomplished in 2017? Check out the report for a rundown of the District’s 2017 programs, projects, and everything else.

You can also find a sneak preview of what’s in the works for 2018! The report can be found on our District Reports page.

P.S. Lest you dismiss this as boring, we promise the report is easy for the average citizen to read and includes some nice pictures too!

View Full Article AIS, Annual report, PLSLWD, capital projects, carp, education, lakes, monitoring, projects, restoration

2017 Water Quality Improvement Award Winners Announced!!!

Posted by PLSLWD Staff - December 27, 2017 - News, Prior Lake, Spring Lake

The winners of the 2017 Water Quality Improvement Award were announced earlier this month at the December Board meeting.

Four local families were each awarded $500 for their efforts to protect water quality on their own properties and one family received Honorable Mention. The Water Quality Improvement Award was created by the District’s Citizen Advisory Committee to encourage residents to install projects to protect their shorelines, store stormwater and reduce pollutants from running into local waterbodies and to use native vegetation. This is the second year of the award.

According to Jodi See, co-chair of the Award, “We are inspired by the actions these individuals took to protect water quality in our local lakes. These projects require considerable time, effort and money and maintenance, so they are an ongoing commitment. Two of the awardees received assistance from the District’s cost share program. We applaud their devotion to the environment and to their communities.”

The 2017 Award Winners are:
Christian Morkeberg combined a raingarden with shoreline restoration, that reduces runoff to Spring Lake (Photo is of C. Morkeberg’s restoration project).

Cindy Sellin installed a filter strip on her shoreline that slows runoff and prevents contaminants such as sediments, organic matter, nutrients and pathogens from running into Lower Prior Lake.

Jim Lally (nominated by another homeowner) installed a raingarden that reduces stormwater runoff to Spring Lake.

Eric Zastrow (nominated by another homeowner) installed a raingarden on the East Side of Willow Beach Association property, which reduces the runoff and sediment running into Upper Prior Lake.

Honorable Mention: James and Candace Freemon installed a raingarden to catch stormwater runoff that was causing mud and erosion on a hilly and densely shaded corner of their property.

For more information and photos for these awards, please visit the WQ Improvement Award page on our website.

View Full Article CAC, Citizen Advisory Committee, Water Quality Improvement Award, Water quality, award, citizen, community, raingardens, restoration, shoreline
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Prior Lake – Spring Lake Watershed District

The District covers about 42 square miles in Scott County, MN. Water in the PLSLWD flows mainly from the southwest to the northeast through Spring, Upper Prior and Lower Prior Lakes, and then north through the Prior Lake Outlet Channel to the Minnesota River near Valley Fair amusement park.
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment

Prior Lake - Spring Lake Watershed District
4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372

Phone: (952) 447-4166
Email: info@plslwd.org

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