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Local Leadership creates win-win shoreline project Vegetation Planting
Local leadership
creates win-win shoreline project
The finishing touches are being applied to the State Highway 197 corridor project with shoreline revegetation well underway. The project has already received an award for its architectural design. Now, with the revegetation project, it could be in line for another. The shoreline along the Highway 197 realignment project is a unique product of partnership and cooperation among several local and state agencies that will have lasting effects on the community. The Beltrami Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) has been involved with the project since it was first reviewed for DNR Waters permits. Chris Parthun, SWCD district manager, stated the original design called for several hundred feet of sea wall, along with rock rip-rap and grass sod. In reviewing the proposal Parthun said he believed there were opportunities to change the plan so that it would be not only less expensive, but also more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sound. “The SWCD has been encouraging private lakeshore owners for years to naturalize their shoreline areas,” Parthun said. “The Highway 197 project seemed like a golden opportunity for local and state agencies to demonstrate leadership by implementing a more natural perspective into the project.” Through discussion between the DNR and MnDOT, the SWCD assisted in developing a proposal that allowed for increased rock encroachment into Lake Bemidji and replaced the sod with a natural vegetative buffer. The added benefits included removal of the sea wall which initially saved the project more than $380,000. The lake’s fisheries benefited from walleye spawning rubble being added to the base of the rock toe. Additionally, long-term maintenance costs were reduced from those estimated for the grass sod, water quality benefits were added and the traffic corridor became safer. The native vegetation planted at the site will be less attractive to geese that forage in the shorter sod grass and could flare into oncoming traffic, Parthun said. The planting will contain a combination of shrubs, grasses, forbs and trees that are all native to Beltrami County. Species include bush honeysuckle, juniper, black chokeberry, staghorn sumac and New Jersey tea, among others. Tree species include red maple, green ash, bur oak and red oak. Parthun said, as with all plantings, the tree choices were carefully made, keeping in mind the necessity to have a good view of Lake Bemidji along the route. The majority of the shrubs are low growing and the trees have tall canopies, allowing for a much more open view than previously. “An attempt was made to reestablish tree species as part of a balanced plan,” Parthun reported. To help cover the costs of the native vegetation the SWCD submitted a grant application to the DNR’s Shoreline Habitat Restoration program, Parthun reported. With strong support from area and regional DNR staff, the project was awarded $40,000 to establish the native vegetation along the corridor. More than 20,000 live plants are being planted in the corridor. SWCD aquatic biologist Melanie Johnson, who serves as the project manager, said she’s enthusiastic about the planting plan. “The diversity and variety of vegetation used is intended to protect Lake Bemidji’s water quality, while also serving as an aesthetic and educational resource for the public. “Brochures will be produced and made available to visitors for a self-guided walk that describes the species and their importance in the overall design. It’s our hope that lakeshore owners, in particular, will find this valuable as they consider a more natural approach to their shoreline.” Some have expressed concern over how the plantings will hold up to road salt that accumulates during the winter months. Parthun said the plan calls for an eight foot wide sodded area between the bike path and the road. “Since that’s the area where show will be pushed in the winter, MnDOT plans on using salt resistant grasses in that area,” Parthun said. In planning the project, SWCD relied on its experience in shoreline restoration work, most notably projects completed along Lake Bemidji on the Bemidji State campus. Two separate projects covering almost 2,000 linear feet of shoreline were completed in 2002 and 2003, Parthun said. The projects renovated damaged shoreline and established protections against further wave and ice damage. Anita Merriit, a BSU undergrad at the time, assisted with the projects. She has also been a key player in the current shoreline revegetation project, Parthun reported. Partnership between many entities has been a cornerstone of the project. The partners include MnDOT, Beltrami SWCD, DNR, Bemidji State University, Minnesota Conservation Corps, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the City of Bemidji. Organizations that assisted by volunteering to plant the vegetation include Webelos Scout Troop Pack 82 and TrekNorth High School. “Individual property owners are integral to maintaining water quality and its associated property values on Lake Bemidji,” said Parthun. “This is also true when the property is publicly owned, like the 197 project. “The SWCD is particularly pleased to partner with so many others to demonstrate local leadership in shoreline management strategies.”
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