Menominee South Neighborhood Pursues Shoreland Restoration

At its first National Night Out event in August 2014, the Menominee South Neighborhood Association unveiled plans to collaborate with the Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland and the Oshkosh Parks Department on the restoration of shoreland frontage areas located within the neighborhood borders - between Washington and Irving.

The committee shared this poster at the event, held in Menominee Park.  The poster utilized photos taken by the Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland. Over 100 neighbors, friends and park visitors joined in the evening at the park.

A view of the restoration mid summer 2014

Following a day of work at the site in July, this photo was captured as the sun began to set:

Photo by Mandy M.  A dense, colorfully vibrant natural setting teaming with life.

View of the unrestored shore

July 2014 view of the plot just north of the current restoration site:

Removing Tall Growth -- The Cup Plant

The initial seed mix listing did not include certain tall-growing plants that have shown up.  These plants, which are very beneficial and are native to the area, exceed the committee's commitment to low and medium growth plants that stay below 6 feet in height.  

Removing the cup plant from the restoration site.

While not all were removed this year, the largest and most aggressive of the them - the cup plant - was partially removed by digging them up, while many were cut back with the intention of transplanting them in early spring 2015 to a plot that is not located by any residential neighbors.

The cup plant is a coarse, sunflower-like native plant that grows on tough, erect stems to 4-8' tall and is distinguished from the other silphiums by its square/quadrangular stems and pairs of cup-forming leaves. Flower heads (to 3" diameter) featuring light yellow rays (20-40) and darker yellow center disks bloom in summer on the upper part of the plant. Rough, triangular to ovate, coarsely-toothed, opposite, connate-perfoliate, medium green leaves. Lower leaves (to 14" long) are united at the petioles. Middle and upper leaves lack petioles, and leaf pairs are united at the bases to envelop the stem forming a cup (hence the common name). Leaf cups will collect rain water. This species is also commonly called cup rosin weed because its stems (like those of all silphiums) exude a gummy sap when broken or cut.)

The cups catch and retain rainwater for insects and birds (see corresponding photo). Cup Plant is also considered "carnivorous" because it absorbs the insects that drown in its cups.

Standing tall at around six feet (more in wetter soils, less in drier soils), its yellow blossoms can be seen starting in July when the butterflies visit them, and then later when the birds begin to feed on its seeds.

Various birds, especially goldfinches, are very fond of the seeds, and drink water from the cups formed by the leaves. Because of the tendency to form dense colonies, this plant provides good cover for birds, which often lurk among the leaves during the heat of the day, searching for insects or pausing to rest.

Local Media Covers Summer 2013 Restoration Work

The Oshkosh Scene dedicated a full page to the shoreland restoration efforts of summer and fall 2013, opening with the following quotes from Anne and David Ruby, who live across the street from the restoration site:

"I am so pleased that this kind of work to improve native habitat and improve water quality is happening in my neighborhood,” shared Miller’s Bay neighbor Anne Ruby. Ruby volunteered in April 2013 to help out at the shoreland restoration site at the northern edge of Menominee Park. 

“I love how the site has become a learning tool for me and my daughter. On severaloccasions in the last year, my daughter and I have walked past the area, and we’ve observed and identified songbirds, butterflies, and blooms that we don’t see nearby.” 

Ruby is one of over 200 community volunteers that have helped out at the site sincework first began October 2011, joining park neighbors, high school and UW Oshkoshstudents, Boy Scouts, city counselors and the mayor, local nature and gardening organizations, and many others who together have made this project possible."

The article ran in the August 2013 edition of the Oshkosh Scene. Founder and Director of Growing Oshkosh Dani Stolley was also quoted in the piece, voicing strong support for the restoration efforts.

Local boy scouts complete some hands on work at the site, planting native Iris plants along the shore

Use of Natives

The restoration site utilizes native plants, which are plants that originally grew in the area prior to the destruction of habitat.  These plants are adapted for our climate and environment, and support the health system of other living things such as birds and certain insects.

Native plants tend to have extensive root systems that can reach 20+ feet in depth, compared to about 6 inches for the current sod cover present in the park.  These root systems help to hold the soil in place while absorbing water and nutrients.  The impact is a both a filter and a buffer, protecting the lake from pollutants and excess nutrients that otherwise flow into the lake and damage water quality.

Shoreland Educational Sign

Special thanks to the Winnebago County Audubon and the National Audubon Society, who funded the addition of an educational sign that was installed at the site.  The sign was designed by committee members of the Friends of Menomonee Park Shoreland.

Plans are to fund one additional sign at the existing location to feature additional species of plants, to include an important thank you to Thomas Traxler and Marshland Transplant, and to detail sustainable water management principles.

Volunteers Flood Restoration Site For Clean Up

On August 21, 2012 about 40 volunteers from the community joined together at the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration site for a clean-up project.  We successfully removed all of the ragweed and the few other undesired plants from the area, including disposal of all of the pulled weeds.  The Northwestern featured a front page photo of the clean up.  No city staff assistance or resources were needed or present (though Parks staff were informed and supportive of the project day).

Photos are from the restoration day of two different native plant species at the site:  blue vervain (above) and cone flower (below).  Overall, the installation is doing remarkably well - especially considering the dry summer and the reality that no manual watering occurred.  

Native Plant Species at the Restoration Site

Our shoreland plant seed mix includes the following:

Native Prairie plants:  Lavender Hyssop, leadplant,butterfly milkweed,sky blue aster,smooth blue aster, lanceleaf coreopsis, white and purple clover, pale purple coneflower, round headed bushclover, rough blazingstar, wild lupine, dotted mint, smooth penstemon, black eyed susan, stiff goldenrod, showy goldenrod, ohio spiderwort, hoary vervain, side oats grama, little bluestem, june grass and prairie dropseed.

Native Shoreline plants: prairie cordgrass, hardstem bulrush, softstem bulrush, three square bulrush, sweet flag, swamp milkweed (photo), carex spp., blue flag iris, burreed, marsh marigolds,wool grass. 

Seeds have exclusively been provided through Marshland Transplant, with technical assistance provided at each planting session.  

Local Scientific Community Support for Restoration Project

UWO Students, Menominee Park neighbors and restoration professionals work together on phase 1 of the Menominee Park Restoration effort. 

The following is an email send to city officials on October 8, 2011 from a local biology scientist and neighbor of Menominee Park in support of shoreland restoration efforts:

Dear City Leaders,

As an aquatic biologist, educator and Menominee Park neighbor, I strongly support the shore land restoration effort in Menominee Park and ask that you consider this project for full support.  This project will provide unique educational opportunities for our students at UW Oshkosh, including hands-on opportunities to participate in an ecosystem restoration project.  In addition, the project will likely result in improved water quality in Millers Bay, as numerous studies from the peer-reviewed scientific literature have shown that wetlands and wetland plants improve water quality by filtering out various chemicals, including nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen.   Finally, this project will increase biological diversity which provides numerous benefits to ecosystems and people.

Sincerely,

Bob Stelzer

************************
Robert Stelzer
Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator
Dept. of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
www.uwosh.edu/biology/contact-us/stelzer-folder/dr.-robert-s.-stelzer
Oshkosh, WI 54901
(920) 424-0845

Restoration Project Receives Community Award

The Oshkosh Parks Department has been honored with an award from the Oshkosh Collaboration Work Group for the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration Project.  

The award, presented by Dorry Wilner of the Oshkosh Police Department, was given in recognition of the long-range value of the project and the expansive partnerships created in the process of making this project possible.

The Oshkosh Collaboration Work Group started in 1993 as the result of a Collaboration Seminar led by Martin J Blank. The group's mission is to develop a collaborative system to meet the needs of people in Winnebago County in a timely and effective manner. Individuals are respected and resources are shared in order to assure positive outcomes for families.

Read the release here. 

A Shoreland Restoration Begins

We had a great turnout for phase 1 of our restoration project at the end of September 2011. (55 volunteers, 1 city counselor and the mayor, and neighbors of the park).  Special thanks to students from Oshkosh North High School and the UW Oshkosh Student Environmental Action Coalition for their great support.

Extensive seeding of native perennial shoreland and prairie plants was completed, with erosion control matting placed over, along with about 200 2-inch plugs scattered throughout.  We had to remove loads of rocks, and also  placed wood chips to create paths for fishers and park uses.