Bank Erosion Control Techniques for Improved Stream Quality

Located in Cass County, the town of Lake Shore, MN, has a year-round population of about 1,400. Lake Shore is a magnet, though, for visitors seeking summer recreation on the water, because the town is close to several lakes.

Lake Shore also has Fritz Loven Park. The park’s 80 acres of land were acquired by Fritz Loven in the early 1930s. Loven was known as a genial man who lived simply—no running water, no electricity, no car—and welcomed fishermen and other visitors to his beautiful wooded property.

Erosion control products for the project were supplied by the Brock White Co., with locations in several Minnesota cities. Curlex I, an erosion control blanket from American Excelsior Co., was used, chosen for its specific cut of Great Lakes aspen curled wood excelsior. Eighty percent of Curlex I consists of aspen fibers that are 6 inches or longer, and the blanket is of a consistent thickness, with fibers evenly distributed throughout. The netting is photodegradable or biodegradable, and the blanket contains no weed seeds or chemical additives. “I really like the Curlex. It holds the moisture in. The barbs of the aspen adhere to the soil. And it’s locally produced, so we don’t have environmental concerns [of using energy to transport a product made far away],” says Hippert. Curlex NetFree, which is also made from Great Lakes aspen excelsior, was also used. “I never use any products with plastic photodegradable material, just cotton or jute,” explains Hippert. Then there’s no concern for the wildlife. They can chew their way out of cotton or jute.” She adds, “This is a relatively flat area. We didn’t need double net. There’s no force because it’s a floodplain.” Brock White also supplied the CoirMat 700 used, which is produced by RoLanka of Stockbridge, GA. The company specializes in coir products. “The mat is right next to the stream. We rebuilt the earth and created a berm; it’s wrapped around the soil. It has much longer wear and can withstand the velocity of the stream. Three years later it’s still in place, but the Curlex has biodegraded [as it’s supposed to]. They’re helping hands to get the plants established,” says Hippert. This restoration project will keep Stony Brook flowing clear and the trout plentiful. One person who worked on the project and came to love Fritz Loven Park was Caitlin Daudt, a dedicated young Crow Wing County SCWD intern. After Caity died in a traffic accident, her co-workers donated a bench in Fritz Loven Park in her memory.

He wanted the city of Lake Shore to acquire his property after his death so that residents and visitors could continue to enjoy it. After the city bought the property from Loven’s sister, it became part of the Minnesota Land Trust, making it safe from future development.

Loven had planted about 400 trees by hand each year. The balsam, fir, pine, spruce, and other evergreens he planted have grown into a beautiful forest.

Running through the property is Stony Brook. This tributary of Gull Lake is a state-designated trout stream. Over the years, Stony Brook’s banks had eroded. Bank stabilization and shoreline restoration was needed. The collaborative effort involved members of the Lake Shore Environmental Committee, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR), the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Conservation Corps of Minnesota and Iowa, and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) of Crow Wing and Cass counties.

Although Stony Brook is located within Cass County, this was considered a watershed-wide project involving both counties. The two SWCDs have worked together on other projects and share resources.

“People picnic there, and there was no buffer to protect the trout stream. No structure was below the ground, just turfgrass that would have continued to erode,” says Beth Hippert, project manager for the Crow Wing County SWCD.

She notes that challenges of the project included “finding the diversity of plants that would be a good buffer and could also withstand foot traffic and deer browsing.”Some areas of the shoreline were left open and accessible so people who wanted to fly fish could walk close to Stony Brook, stand on its banks, and cast their lines. Path rush was planted in these areas. “It’s a tough rush that will stand up to foot traffic,” says Hippert. “We put in shrubs to keep people away from the shoreline in places that were less disturbed.”

Native plants in the project included prairie blazing star, blue flag iris, false indigo, sneezeweed, porcupine sedge, Virginia strawberry, sweet flag, marsh marigold, red osier dogwood, black willow, sandbar willow, woodland phlox, monkey flower, and wool grass. About 2,500 native plants of 30 species and 1,500 grasses, rushes, and sedges of 18 species were installed. The work was done by agency staff members and volunteers.

The plants help stabilize the soil and also provide improved habitat for dragonflies, mayflies, and other aquatic insects the trout could feed on. Lunkers (shady overhangs where trout congregate) that the MNDNR had installed were enhanced.

Keeping people out of certain areas so that the plants could become established was also challenging. The existing small sign was replaced with a larger one, but by the third year it was necessary to add a fence.

“We took an ecosystem approach to prevent degradation of the stream and still allow people to use the paths to the water so they can fly fish,” says Hippert.

Erosion control products for the project were supplied by the Brock White Co., with locations in several Minnesota cities. Curlex I, an erosion control blanket from American Excelsior Co., was used, chosen for its specific cut of Great Lakes aspen curled wood excelsior. Eighty percent of Curlex I consists of aspen fibers that are 6 inches or longer, and the blanket is of a consistent thickness, with fibers evenly distributed throughout. The netting is photodegradable or biodegradable, and the blanket contains no weed seeds or chemical additives.

“I really like the Curlex. It holds the moisture in. The barbs of the aspen adhere to the soil. And it’s locally produced, so we don’t have environmental concerns [of using energy to transport a product made far away],” says Hippert.

Curlex NetFree, which is also made from Great Lakes aspen excelsior, was also used. “I never use any products with plastic photodegradable material, just cotton or jute,” explains Hippert. Then there’s no concern for the wildlife. They can chew their way out of cotton or jute.”

She adds, “This is a relatively flat area. We didn’t need double net. There’s no force because it’s a floodplain.”

Brock White also supplied the CoirMat 700 used, which is produced by RoLanka of Stockbridge, GA. The company specializes in coir products.

“The mat is right next to the stream. We rebuilt the earth and created a berm; it’s wrapped around the soil. It has much longer wear and can withstand the velocity of the stream. Three years later it’s still in place, but the Curlex has biodegraded [as it’s supposed to]. They’re helping hands to get the plants established,” says Hippert.

This restoration project will keep Stony Brook flowing clear and the trout plentiful. One person who worked on the project and came to love Fritz Loven Park was Caitlin Daudt, a dedicated young Crow Wing County SCWD intern. After Caity died in a traffic accident, her co-workers donated a bench in Fritz Loven Park in her memory.