Ashland Shoreland Restoration

The restoration sites in winter look very different from the yellows and reds of autumn. In late fall, the invasive buckthorn was treated with glyphosate, and the unruly green ash trees were pruned to improve growth.  If you have not been to the restoration sites since leaf-off I would highly recommend taking a walk on the Lake Shore Path. Without leaves on trees and the grasses turned brown, it is much easier to spot the small conifer trees planted throughout the Memorial Park Restoration site. You can even see the bike path through the trees from atop Memorial Park hill. There is something about a serene peacefulness and calming that only winter can bring. There is ice on the big lake, and less hustle and bustle after the fall migration, but don’t let the quiet fool you. If you wait long enough and look close enough, there is still wildlife to be seen using the restoration sites.

As fall colors come to shine, the work crew diminishes down to only two. Brick (Project Leader) and John Borgen (Contractor) will work periodically on the sites for the next couple months. In September, despite heavy rains hampering the restoration progress, all of the plantings were completed (including an additional 1000 grasses), some trees and shrubs were re-mulched, the reed canary grass and white sweet clover, both aggressive invasive species, were mowed, and surface water runoff collectors were installed in 4 of the 12 experimental plots.

The month of October moves forward, the task list includes…

• Surface water runoff measurements for fall assessment of water quality in all control plots
• Closing of the wire fence at top of slope
• Installation of the kiosk/signs (postponed until Spring 2012)
• Removing the nursery pen fencing to prepare for buckthorn removal
• Collecting soil samples from all plots
• Collecting soil plug samples from all control plots to run late season soil arthropod survey
• Clearing/removing large woody downfall on edge of shrubland zone to prepare for planting
• Pruning selected green ash trees to promote single-stem tree formation
• Closing up the staging area to prepare for spring site prep for 2012 planting

Even though school is one week from being back in session, the work on the restoration sites is far from over. Within the next two weeks you can expect to see 5,000 more plants being put in the ground, the fence closing up, and more invasives being removed. The restoration crew will also be preparing for winter, by removing some of the equipment at the prep site. Yet this fall, brochure boxes, and kiosks will be installed and the carpet of buckthorn seedlings will be treated.

To see some of the times series photos of Memorial Park from the summer, visit the Memorial Park photos page.

On Corwin’s last day as a full time restoration assistant, we planted in a section of forest appropriately deemed by Jon ‘Corwin’s Corner’. It was a planting that was 100% planned and conducted by Cara, Jon and Corey, based on the knowledge they accumulated throughout the summer.

Corey creating holes, and Cara planting in Corwins Corner

Cara Planting

Corey creating holes

Photos by Jon

Wednesday, August 17th, marked the last volunteer day for the season. We have to extend a large thank you to Prentice House #2, the Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute for their help. Collectively we were able to rid the entire shoreline of large invasives, making room for plantings, and plant a very beautiful mesic meadow in front of the bench on the lakefront trail.

We hauled away trailers full of invasives away! What we accomplished in one morning with volunteers, would have taken our three person work crew over a full day to complete. With the help, we now feel very confident in our ability to get the rest of the wildflowers in the ground.

Thank you once again to all of those that helped!

Follow this link for more pictures

 Lissa from the SOEI and Superior Forum helping to plant wildflowers

 Boys from Prentice House #2 Pulling Tansy

As August turns the corner, we can see summer’s end, but that doesn’t mean we are anywhere near done with the restoration work. Right now we are in full planting mode. We are nearly done with the fence installation, and working on getting all the forbs and wildflowers in the ground. Last Wednesday we were able to get 35 flats of forbs in the ground, thanks to the crew from Ashland County Land and Water Conservation Department. If you would like to help out with the restoration work, please email us, using the contact page.

 Ashland County Aquatic Invasives Coordinator Planting Ferns

Corey, Jon and a volunteer/Northland College student Jared Planting

The last two weeks have provided great, cool working weather and treacherous, hot/humid working conditions. Nonetheless, trailers full invasive and aggressive plants have been pulled out of the site and the bottom half of the deer fence has been completed. Getting the rest of the fence up is one of our top priorities because the deer have already browsed dozens of our potted nursery plants. To keep them at bay, we have temporarily sprayed the plants with a natural deer repellent, that will hopefully last until the fence is complete.

Invasive plants being pulled out, is also a major task. We need to get them out to stop the seeds from adding to the seed bank, and to make room for the native plants, we are going to plant. Primary targets are clover, bird’s foot trifoil, thistle, burdock, virginia creeper and tansy.

Friday marked our third delivery of plants. We now have 5,000 forbs to plan next week, on top of shrubs, that have yet to be planted from our last delivery.

The sun of summer has also brought numerous animal visitors to the site. We have spotted a Yellow Warbler’s active nest, a gaggle of geese, possibly a Mallard hen, a Monarch butterfly, and a Gray treefrog.

Sunday, the 17th was also our Lake Superior Day Historical Walk. Despite the heat, we still had a small turn out of people. This coming Wednesday, July 27, is the second volunteer day.

 Before Pulling Virginia Creeper                                                               After Pulling the Virginia Creeper

It looks like a whole different place at Memorial Park. From grass covered, exotic plant filled park, the site now screams with excitement for the future. Trees and shrubs dot the hill, making a very visible difference.

Wednesday the 6th of July marked the first delivery of potted plants for the season. Nearly 200 trees and shrubs were dropped off at Memorial park in the early afternoon. The rest of the week was a flurry of moving plants, digging holes, planting trees and shrubs, mulching and watering them. Several hundred trees and shrubs were planted in and around the experimental plots on Memorial park hill.  On Saturday, July 9th another truck load of plants were delivered. This time they were flats of forbs and more pots of shrubs. It looks as if we will be planting all season

Our first volunteer day has passed, and although the turnout was not what we had anticipated we are still hopeful and excited about the two days yet to come! Next on the event list, is the Lake Superior day Historical Walk, Sunday, July 17th at 2pm. See the Get Involved page for more information!

 Mulching the new tree seedlings

Planting on the hillside

Wednesday the 29th of June was a very busy day at Memorial Park. In addition to the normal working crew, who finished putting the stakes in for the fence, and started completing the bottom fourth of the experimental plots, the Green Lawn Underground Sprinkler crew and the Ashland Middle School Summer of Service students were also on site.

The Green Lawn Underground Sprinkler crew installed a water pump, electrical, and a sprinkler system on site. The automated sprinkler system could not have come at a better time, when the temperature highs are set for the 90′s and our first load of potted plants are set to arrive next weekend.

In the afternoon, we were delightfully surprised by the Northwoods Cooperative Weed Management Area coordinator Darienne McNamara, who brought Ashland Middle School’s Summer of Service Students and National Park Service’s Monica Magari to Memorial Park. The group came by to help remove non-woody and woody invasive species like common buckthorn. Their work helped to pulled a heap of invasives out of Memorial Park.

Installing the hose along the waterfront trail

Corey completing the experimental plot edging

For more photos of the day’s work see the Photo page.

Last Week:
With three straight days of rain, there wasn’t much time left in a four day work week to accomplish much. Not only that, but the plants didn’t need watering (obviously ) and the wonderful clay soil was difficult to work with. As a result the restoration team was confined indoors working on sanding, priming and painting fence posts and stakes to go around the proposed plantings at Memorial Park. Mulch was also placed around the experimental plots to prevent the bare soil from washing out in the heavy rains.

This Week:

• Irrigation is proposed to be installed on Wednesday. This system of sprinkler heads will keep the plants watered in the hot summer heat, that we are expected to get in the upcoming weeks.
• The stakes and posts for the fence are being put in the ground on Memorial Park.
• Exotic, invasive Reed Canary Grass has been mowed down at Memorial Park.
• 70 fence posts are still being primed for painting and painted.

Interesting news from the past two weeks, include seeing a black bear on site (again) and finding a rare plant in flower. Other native plants are also in flower including Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and wild rose. A Meadow Vole also took up residence in our staging area at Memorial Park, and a Merlin enjoyed his lunch in the American Elm tree at Memorial Park.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Merlin enjoying its lunch

These past two weeks have been a flurry of hard work. At Bayview Park, nearly 140 additional trees and shrubs were planted.

Tree species planted include: Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), White Spruce (Picea glauca), Black Spruce (Picea mariana), Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis), White Birch (Betula papyrifera), and Tamarack (Larix laricina). Other tree species planted before include White Pine (Pinus strobus), Red Pine (Pinus resinosa), and Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). Shrub species planted include American Plum (Prunus americana), American Hazel (Corylus americana), and Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius).

At Memorial Park, the edging for the twelve experimental plots were put in and wheelbarrows full of invasive Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) and Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) were pulled. Stakes to mark the fence-line and transects for surveying were also put in. Posts for the fencing will be painted and installed within the next week. Varieties of invasive mustard were also pulled to keep the seeds from sowing.

Pulling of the non-woody invasive species by hand may take more back breaking hours, BUT this method of control minimizes the use of herbicide. This is especially important on the shores of one of the world’s largest fresh water bodies.

Other interesting finds on the restoration sites have included:

• Watching a Bald Eagle sit in the American Elm tree at Memorial Park, while Merlins harassed it for being in their territory
• Finding a spiders nest
• Accidentally uncovering a nest of four baby rodents (possibly meadow voles)
• Watching wild varieties of rose bloom, along with a great number of other wild flowers

Jon and Corey Pulling Bull Thistle