This summer a lake-friendly alternative to a retaining wall was installed on Joe’s Pond in Danville. Thanks to the willing landowners, this was Caledonia County Natural Resources Conservation District’s first project on the pond. Working with a team that included a crew from the NorthWoods Stewardship Center, Holly Greenleaf of Greenleaf Designs, LLC, and Reilly Auger of Auger Heights Excavating LLC, the old 48′ wood and concrete retaining wall was dismantled. It was then replaced with a stone toe, a line of fiber coir rolls, and a native lakeshore buffer.
Why fiber coir rolls? They help reduce erosion from stormwater, especially on long or steep slopes. They also provide a base for native plantings by holding in moisture. In this project steeplebush, lowbush honeysuckle, red osier dogwood, sweetgale, and highbush blueberry were planted to help stabilize the shoreline and provide fruit for the landowners.
Funding for this project was provided by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
Photo: Newly installed buffer and native plants along the shoreline of Joe’s Pond. Photo by Caledonia County NRCD.