Why Native Plants Matter

Restoring native plant habitat is vital to preserving biodiversity. By creating a native plant garden, each patch of habitat becomes part of a collective effort to nurture and sustain the living landscape for birds and other animals.

Over the past century, urbanization has taken intact, ecologically productive land and fragmented and transformed it with lawns and exotic ornamental plants. The continental U.S. lost a staggering 150 million acres of habitat and farmland to urban sprawl, and that trend isn’t slowing. The modern obsession with highly manicured “perfect” lawns alone has created a green, monoculture carpet across the country that covers over 40 million acres. The human-dominated landscape no longer supports functioning ecosystems, and the remaining isolated natural areas are not large enough to support wildlife.

Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration Site Photo, by Mandy Mitchell, 2014

Native plants are those that occur naturally in a region in which they evolved. They are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive. For example, research by the entomologist Doug Tallamy has shown that native oak trees support over 500 species of caterpillars whereas ginkgos, a commonly planted landscape tree from Asia, host only 5 species of caterpillars. When it takes over 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees, that is a significant difference.

Unfortunately, most of the landscaping plants available in nurseries are alien species from other countries. These exotic plants not only sever the food web, but many have become invasive pests, outcompeting native species and degrading habitat in remaining natural areas. 

Creating A Habitat for Endangered Species

Wisconsin is home to over 230 endangered and threatened species of animals, insects and plants.  According to the Wisconsin DNR, 80% of the endangered species in our state utilize shoreland habitat for all or part of their lives.  The destruction of their natural home habitats is what has led to these species to become endangered and potentially extinct from our state.

By restoring shoreland habitat to its natural state, we slowly create an environment that may someday serve as habitat for these endangered species, helping to protect and rebuilt their populations.

A few key elements to a success restoration include use of native plants, elimination of any pesticide or herbicide usage, and sufficient area to successfully create a habitat with sufficient food, space and reproductive protection.

Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens), a native to Winnebago County, was last observed here over 10 years ago. 

William C. Taylor. USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln. Provided by USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute (WSI)

Fall 2014 Native Seed Harvest

Neighborhood youth joined us for a late October native seed harvest.  We collected two sets of seeds: a collection of low and medium growth plants and a second collection of high growth plants.  Both sets are native to the area, thrive there, and are excellent plants to achieve the goals of a restoration site.  The taller harvested seeds will be spread by the pump station building in spring 2015.

An estimated 250,000 seeds were harvested in the 3 hour session on an absolutely beautiful fall day.

Seeds will be stored over winter, and undergo a cold treatment in the early spring of 2015.

In April/May 2015, we will look to dig up some of the highly beneficial and healthy tall native plants at the request of the parks board and neighbors.  These plants will be transplanted to a small plot by the pump station near Webster Stanley Elementary School.

The seeds that we harvested will both be started as plants, as well as spread throughout the new plot and in bare areas in the established bed.
We harvested many of the cone flower seed heads, the wild quinine seeds, vervain seeds, milk weed seeds, and a dozen additional native plant species.

Overall, we probably harvest about 2% of the seeds at the thriving bed.


While working, over 10 couples stopped and commented on the beauty of the site.  Like the campaign to achieve an organized and transparent plan, members of the community overwhelmingly support and appreciate the work that we're doing to improve the park and the Winnebago Lakes System.

We will look to facilitate a meeting in partnership with city parks staff in early December 2014 to determine the next steps for spring 2015.  We will be looking to organize a large-scale transplant day that moves about 200-300 plants from the current bed south to the Pump Station bed.

Menominee South Neighborhood Association is also waiting to receive guidance and direction from the parks staff, as the group is planning to complete work on shoreland restoration in the neighborhood.

In addition to harvesting seeds, the group picked up garbage throughout the plot and from nearby locations.

City staff has been given the go-ahead to complete a mowing of the existing bed, which should facilitate spreading of the seeds.

UWO ERIC Supports 5-Year Plan

Today, the UW Oshkosh Environmental Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) provided a letter of support for the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration 5-Year Plan, stating:

"This plan addresses important environmental impacts including reduction of pollutant loading from urban areas, increasing native shoreland plants to increase stormwater infiltration and decrease erosion, and promote selective wildlife at Menominee Park. Not only does this project improve stormwater infiltration, the vegetation deters geese from loafing along the shoreline and in nearshore water, which has been shown to negatively affect water quality."

Wild Ones Fox Valley Chapter Endorses Plan

This week, Wild Ones Fox Valley Chapter provided a letter of support for the shoreland restoration project and the 5-year plan.  According to Wild Ones:

"The plan for the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration project generates and protects clean water, supports aquatic life, sustains the fragile water’s edge, deters unwanted animals, buffers extreme weather, supports pollinators and songbird life, is less costly to maintain, and provides beauty, interest and biodiversity."

Onterra Biologist Encourages Support for Restoration

Onterra, the firm responsible for the initial Miller's Bay assessment, provided a message of support for the current shoreland restoration efforts.  The Onterra Report concluded:

“Miller’s Bay shoreline is incredibly poor and provides no aesthetic, habitat, or buffering value to the bay. Turf maintenance along the bay’s shoreline leads to increased runoff of nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants to Lake Winnebago, while providing appealing loafing grounds to nuisance levels of Canada geese.”

Shoreland restoration was a recommendation made in the report, which can be viewed here.

On Wednesday, October 8, 2014 8:29 AM

City of Oshkosh Parks Department Staff and Common Council Members:

In June 2010, the Miller’s Bay, Lake Winnebago Aquatic Plant Management Plan finalized.  Within that plan, we recommended that the City of Oshkosh restore at least a portion of the Menominee Park shoreline to a more natural shoreland for several reasons:

·         Increased pollutant buffering (filtering) capacity of a natural shoreline over that of a shoreline composed of maintained turf grass.

·         Increased wildlife habitat value of a natural shoreline over a urbanized shoreline.

·         To act as a goose deterrent by reducing available loafing area in the park.

·         To bring the City in line with its own vision and resource management plan by buffering impervious surfaces near waterways and protecting sensitive resources such as water and shorelands.

Since the Miller’s Bay plan was finalized, the USEPA has released the results of the 2012 National Lakes Assessment.  Natural shoreland destruction was found to be the greatest factor degrading our lakes within the State of Wisconsin and nation.  Restoring shorelands to a more natural condition works to reverse that impact.

Finally, I was pleased to see that the City had moved in the right direction by allowing the restoration to occur.  The City set an excellent example for area residents, Winnebago shoreline property owners, and area municipalities by moving forward with the restoration.  By removing the restoration, the City would set an incredibly poor example and take a step backwards in its management of Miller’s Bay and Lake Winnebago.

Sincerely,

Tim Hoyman, CLM

Aquatic Ecologist

Onterra, LLC

City's Sustainability Advisory Board Endorses Restoration Plan

The city's Sustainability Advisory Board formally approved the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration 5-year plan, adding, "The Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board strongly recommends that this plan be adopted for the health, vitality, and economy of Lake Winnebago and the City of Oshkosh."

Menominee Park Area Shoreland Restoration 5-Year Plan

The proposed Menominee Park Area Shoreland Restoration 5-Year Plan (2014-2019) is available online here.  The Final Draft is expected December 10, 2014.

Winnebago Lakes Council Commends and Endorses Shoreland Efforts

The Winnebago Lakes Council has provided an excellent letter of support for the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration efforts, including: "The Winnebago Lakes Council fully supports the efforts to improve this waterfront resource and we are pleased to see the project has fulfilled every expectation."

Menominee South Neighborhood Association Endorses Plan

The newly formed Menominee South Neighborhood Association (MSNA), spanning the terrain between Irving and Washington and between Lake Winnebago and Broad St, has endorsed the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration plan.  

Within the plan, MSNA plays an active role in leading the restoration effort near the water treatment facility.  Many members of MSNA have already been active members in the restoration effort.

Winnebago Audubon Endorses Shoreland Restoration Plan

In September 2014, the Winnebago Audubon provided a great letter of support for the Shoreland Restoration plan, adding, "What an outstanding, positive collaboration on a project that benefits the community as a whole and the environment!"

Rep. Hintz Endorses Shoreland Restoration

State Assembly Representative Gordon Hintz has endorsed the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration project and five (5) year plan. Rep. Hintz played an important part in helping the city of Oshkosh secure the funds to complete the 2009/10 study of the Miller's Bay area.

 This study was highly critical of the city's shoreland management, suggesting that “Miller’s Bay shoreline is incredibly poor and provides no aesthetic, habitat, or buffering value to the bay. Turf maintenance along the bay’s shoreline leads to increased runoff of nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants to Lake Winnebago, while providing appealing loafing grounds to nuisance levels of Canada geese.”