Aquascaping
The care and management of our lakes seems especially important when you live along the lakeshore. The quality of the lake affects you as well as your neighbors, so it is especially important to be aware of what your impact is on the lake and what you can do to help it. One thing that all lakeshore owners can do that has a large effect on their property as well as the lake as a whole is to improve their shoreline. As most lakeshore residents know, shorelines move naturally and this process can be sped up through the heavy recreational use of the lake. Heavily impacted lakeshores can move several inches in a year threatening trees and even houses. In response to this, many residents attempt to armor their shorelines using a variety of hard-engineering techniques but there are better ways and the Rice Creek Watershed District has some cost-share grants for qualifying projects.
The RCWD encourages lakeshore owners to restore their shoreline to something of a natural system instead of using rock and timber to hold their shore in place. By using deep rooted plants and biodegradable fabrics, a lakeshore can be secured and the results last longer, are more aesthetically pleasing, and provide numerous benefits to the natural system. Ducks and fish are dependant on having some cover and a steady food source, both of which a natural shoreline provides. In addition, having tall plants along the water’s edge discourages geese from making their home on the lawn behind the buffer.
A successful lakeshore restoration is comprised of two parts: an aquatic and an upland plant community. The aquatic plants, typically emergent species, work to dissipate the energy of incoming waves while the upland community stabilizes the shoreline and increases water quality by slowing down and filtering runoff. In addition, the upland portion of a lakeshore restoration can be made very attractive through the use of native perennial flowering species that need almost no maintenance. Perennial grasses and forbs require no fertilizer, are drought tolerant, and provide an array of color from early spring until late fall.
If you have any further questions about native shoreline restoration please consult our Blue Thumb - Planting for Clean Water program.