Thursday, December 19, 2013

Take Care of Shorelines on Legend Lake


Channels and Erosion Concerns

 

Erosion of our shorelines is becoming an increasing concern for Legend Lake, especially in the relatively shallow channels.  Each channel was initially created to be around ten feet deep throughout the center of the entire length.  Over several decades, erosion has filled many of these channels so they are only 6-8 feet deep in 2013.  Sandy, unstable shoreline areas with minimal vegetation and boat wakes are leading to excess sedimentation of the navigation channels.

 

Two things need to happen to slow or stop this trend.  One, boaters need to obey slow-no-wake rules.  Too many boaters cruise through too fast, creating wakes of 6-12 inches high.  This may not seem like a lot, but it is causing a lot of undercutting of the banks along these channels.  Two, landowners along these channels need to do their best to vegetate and naturalize all shoreline areas they own that are not part of their access and viewing corridor.  Heavy vegetation along the shoreline and on all sloped areas will hold the sand/soil in place better.  The more dense, non-mowed areas of native vegetation we can promote along these channels, the better we can keep these waterways from filling in with sediments.

 

Any channel that becomes unnavigable due to sedimentation will probably require dredging.  Dredging can cost millions of dollars and permits are not always granted by the State.  Preventing the filling of our channels is the best way to avoid extremely expensive dredging in the future.  Please do your part to help combat the problem.

 

Islands in Legend Lake

 

  There are four islands within the Legend Lake chain.  The large town owned conservancy in Peshtigo Lake is mostly unused.  The two islands in Big Blacksmith Lake are owned by LLPOA and are used by boaters to a small degree.  Horseshoe Island is also a Town owned conservancy in Pyawasit Lake, and I used heavily along the southern “tips of the horseshoe”.

 

Heavy use and users ramming their boats into the shore have destabilized much of the bank in these areas.  Horseshoe Island is eroding away at a rate of several feet per year.  The island is a great gathering place to socialize, but we need to protect it for future users and for the protected cove it provides for wildlife habitat.  Several species of fish and birds breed in this inner area of the island.  Please do not litter on or around the island, and most importantly, please do not ram boats into the shore or tie to trees. Please anchor your boats in the shallow sandy areas near the island and leave the shoreline and natural vegetation to grow and help protect the banks.

 

Natural Shorelines and Vegetated Buffers

 

 I’d like to promote the benefits of natural shorelines with native species of plants such as grasses, sedges, wildflowers, shrubs and trees.  Shoreline buffers like the restoration shown below add habitat for the natural food chain and protect the shoreline from erosion.  Keeping your access point to no more than 30 feet of your frontage, with the rest being natural, will keep your lake cleaner and allow more habitat and food for the fish, birds, frogs, etc.

 

Cost Sharing Available in 2014

 

I will have cost sharing money available again for naturalizing and stabilizing shorelines.  Currently this is first come first served money for eligible projects.  Stabilizing shorelines with rip-rap, bio-logs, native vegetation or other approved methods can be cost shared from 50-70%.  That means that the property owner only pays 30-50% of eligible costs (with a possible upper limit dependent on total cost), plus tax.

 

For information on cost sharing eligibility, call Jeremy Johnson at 715-799-5710.