CROSSLAKE, Minn. — Minnesota is known for its many lakes, and while our lakes are plentiful, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding lake home and cabin owners to help protect our natural resources using natural shorelines.
Merry Keefe started spending summers on the Whitefish Chain in Crosslake as a child.
"We started coming up here in 1944,” Keefe said. “I've been here for so many years, there's no one thing I love best about it."
For the past few years, preserving her family property on Big Trout Lake has been a priority.
And that's where Laura Mendoza Romero comes in. Mendoza Romero is a shoreline restoration consultant with Great Roots, LLC, where she works to restore shorelines in cabin country.
She used to teach organic farming in Mexico. When she moved to Minnesota, she used her experience to make changes for area lakes.
"I started trying to look into something that could be impactful and that I could be passionate about," Mendoza Romero said. "I found this."
Together, they're working to get Keefe's shoreline back to the way it was years ago, thanks in part to funds and help from Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District and Whitefish Area Property Owner's Association.
"If you have native plants along the shoreline they actually act as a filter so it's filtering rainwater that comes off the lane or waves that comes into the land," Keefe said. "The purity of the water affects the fish, affects what grows in the lakes and, obviously, all of our water in Minnesota is connected in one way or another so it's important to the health of nature and the state."
"So this helps slow down the water, it's kinda like a speedbump," Mendoza Romero said, showing some of her supplies.
Mendoza Romero works with a natural approach.
"We use willow because, without it growing too thick, it grows long," she said.
Willow wattle, native vegetation and erosion control fabric is often used.
"The shore was here, if you can kinda see where it was, and then we added another row of willow. Now it's all the way hidden under sand and debris.”
It's an effort, both Keefe and Mendoza Romero believe we all benefit from.
"A lot of us like fishing and like wildlife, too, so it's going to be better for the fish, better for the wildlife. We all drink water so that's a huge thing. Doing this is going to keep our lakes clean and it'll provide us with clean water, too," Mendoza Romero said.
KARE reached out to the Minnesota DNR to find out if people should check with their area DNR office to find out about permits before working on shoreline restoration efforts. Lake & River Shoreland Program Manager Dan Petrik with the Minnesota DNR said the following:
“Yes, IF the restoration work includes work below the ordinary high water level (OHWL). The OHWL is a jurisdictional boundary. Below the OHWL, the DNR has jurisdiction. Above, the local government has jurisdiction. Most restoration work is above the OHWL, but large projects could also affect below. Property owners should always check with the local government to see if a land alteration permit is required. Such permits help to prevent erosion and sediment flow into the water during and after the restoration project.”
If you’re looking to get involved, volunteers are often needed for shoreline restoration projects as well.
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