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Objectives:
Why embrace sustainable management and native revegetation?
Sustainability means reducing chemical inputs and restoring native vegetation. We can create landscapes in our back yards which are sustainable. Native vegetation protects water quality and fish habitat, controls erosion, conserves native plant and animal diversity, and gives us beauty, privacy and a low maintenance landscape.
These three sites were originally conventional turf grass and needed regular mowing, fertilizing and weeding. In summer of 1998, these demonstration sites were converted to sustainable landscapes. Naturalized shoreland will evolve here over time.
Restoration Timeframe:
Year 1: April - June 1998
Final Site design was agreed upon. Turf grass was killed using herbicide in spring and hardwood mulch was applied to reduce weed growth. Erosion control fabric was used in wetter areas. Wave breaks in water reduce effects of wave disturbance on plant survival. Several community groups helped plant approximately 3,500 native plant seedlings and shrubs.Year 2: 1999
Perennial plants will mature and flower. Mulch will decompose and spaces between plants will begin to fill in. Shoreline aquatic vegetation will spread.Year 3: 2000 and beyond
A mature prairie will become established attracting birds, and beneficial insects which control insect pests. Aquatic plants will stabilize the shoreline and provide habitat for fish, water birds, and aquatic insects.
Getting Started
The Gervais Lake Shoreland Project is a collaboration among the Gervais Lake Association, Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District, and the University of Minnesota's Department of Entomology. The cooperators are committed to the conservation of water quality and biodiversity.
Zone 1 UPLAND prairie if sunny, or woodland if shady and soil is moist but not wet Zone 2 WET MEADOW wet soil but rarely any standing water Zone 3 EMERGENT shallow water most of the time Zone 4 SUBMERGED aquatic; soil is never exposed
Trees and Shrubs white oak Quercus alba red oak Quercus rubra bur oak Quercus macrocarpa red maple Acer rubrum wild plum Prunus americana American elderberry Sambucus canadensis American highbush cranberry Viburnum trilobum common chokecherry Prunus virginiana Prairie plants for sun big bluestem Andropogon gerardii sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium indian grass Sorghastrum nutans prairie smoke Geum triflorum gray-head. coneflower Ratibida pinnata purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum thimbleweed Anemone cylindrica butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa bergamot Monarda fistulosa prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya purple coneflower Echinacea augustifolia Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum Woodland plants for shade common blue violet Viola papilionacea wild geranium Geranium maculatum mayapple Podophyllum peltatum true solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum jacob's ladder Polemonium reptans Canada wild ginger Asarum canadadense
Trees and Shrubs red maple Acer rubrum swamp white oak Quercus bicolor black spruce Picea mariana red osier dogwood Cornus sericea pussy willow Salix discolor cottonwood Populus deltoides buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis meadowsweet Spirea alba saskatoon Amelanchier alnifolia Perennials joe-pye weed Eupatorium maculatum blue flag iris Iris versicolor swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica prairie cord grass Spartine pectinata bottlebrush sedge Carex comosa marsh marigold Caltha palustris spike rush Eleocharis species blue vervain Verbena hastata Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum
Perennials green bulrush Scirpus atrovirens wool grass Scirpus cyperinus river bulrush Scirpus fluviatilis lake sedge Carex lacustris pickerelweed Pontederia cordata arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia soft rush Juncus effusus Can. bluejoint grass Calamgrostis canadensis water plaintain Alisma plantago-aquatica bur-reed Sparganium americanum cattail Typha latifolia
Wet soils, always under water American lotus Nelumbo lutea spatterdock Nuphar advena white water-lily Nymphaea odorata wild celery Valisneria americana
For more information about the Gervais Lake Shoreland Project, including demonstration sites, bulletins, videos, posters and volunteer opportunities, contact:
Shoreland Best Management Practices
To plant or remove aquatic vegetation, contact:
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