News & Events

Setting the Stone Rip-Rap Shoreline

Darrell Schwalm writes:
Placing field stone rock on top of the pervious ground cloth and gravel is not an easy job.  The homeowner has chosen to use rocks that will complement similar rock used in landscaping around the house.  These rocks are being hand-placed to form a level, 23 degree sloped to prevent ice flows from grabbing a rock and pushing or pulling it out of the bank.  An alternative design is to use a row of large rocks as a bottom footing, and smaller, 9″ average, diameter rocks to fill in the slope.  In either design, the level, sloped rock bank will allow ice to flow over the rock surface.
Once the rock bank is established, wave action will deposit sand and organic matter to fill in the gaps between the rocks.  The homeowner will have the choice of allowing plants to grow between the rocks to further stabilize the bank, or weed out any growth to highlight the rock surface.
Also notice in the picture how the silt fencing is reinforced on the inside with sand at the bottom.  It also continues to keep construction materials out of the lake and lake water out of the construction area.  The current lower lake level helps this.
Placement of the rock revetment will continue until the end of this week.  Next week, additional rocks will be placed on the lawn to form an edging for the two landscaped, greenbelt beds to be planted along the rock revetment.
Darrell email #2
by Marty Jones

Landscaped Greenbelt Under Construction

Darrell Schwalm writes:

MAPS is partnering with a Scotts’s Bay homeowner to construct a landscaped greenbelt.  The purpose is to provide a bioengineered rock revetment to protect the shoreline against ice and wave erosion.  It will also provide a natural, vegetative habitat and buffer to replace the lawn that extends to a narrow beach and water’s edge.  MAPS will provide cost share funds for the plants that will be used along the shoreline.

 

The pictures show a before picture of shoreline and front yard, the newly constructed enlarged beach access site and the shoreline silt fencing, a section of the shoreline lined with a pervious ground cloth and gravel base for the rock revetment, and the rocks that will be hand-set for the gently-sloped rock armored bank.  Much of the construction and rock work is being done by the homeowner.  The greenbelt design and silt fencing to protect the lake from any sediment runoff from the construction was approved and inspected by the county.

 

MAPS will provide additional photos of progress on this impressive project by a stewardship-minded Mullett Lake property owner.  MAPS will use this greenbelt as a demonstration project because it will showGreenbelt 3Greenbelt 2Greenbelt 4Greenbelt 1 how to construct a bio-engineered rock revetment and an attractive vegetative shoreline greenbelt with adequate lake access points for swimming, boat hoist extraction, and dock access.

by Marty Jones

Do you have Purple Loosestrife on your property?

Purple Loosestrife, an invasive, non-native plant from Europe and Asia eliminates native plants such as cattails, sedges, bullrush, and ferns.  As our wetlands become infested, desirable food and nesting sites for wildlife are lost and, there are fewer resting sites for migrating birds.

MAPS Invasive Species Strike Team will happily identify and remove Purple Loosestrife from your property. Small stands are easily removed with nothing more than a shovel.  Contact Marty Jones (montychones@gmail.com) or Darrell Schwalm (schwalmie2@aol.com)MAPS Invasive DayLoosestrife.

Even Penny the Labradoodle (pictured above) was happy to help remove it from her property.

 

by Marty Jones

MAPS collaborates with UMBS

University of Michigan Biological Station grad student Carrie Coy and Marty Jones sampled 15 sites on Mullett Lake to evaluate PFAS levels. The data will be presented at the MAPS Annual Meeting  August 8th, at the Cheboygan Public Library.

UMBS2

by Marty Jones