Shoreline restoration



Great Blue Heron take off

 Pictured above is a Great Blue Heron taking off from the shores of Bassett Creek Pond.  Since the big rain earlier this morning the herons and egrets where shore fishing. What you might notice from this picture is that the shoreline was recently cutback by the local parks department.  They cut down lots of rag weed, itch weed, willow trees, etc.  While there was criticism about this dramatic cutback, without it the pond would not be visible by people on the walking trail and would continue to be populated by many noxious plants. Ideally it would be nice to see native plant species along the shoreline. 

I'm pleased to be serving on the board of the Crystal Fund for Community Progress, (CFCP) that is currently working on an effort to enhance Memory Pond Lane and Brownwood Conservation Areas, which boarder 42nd Ave N between Hampshire and Kentucky Avenues in Crystal.  We're learning about shoreline restoration from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. They are working with many across the state to educate the public about the importance of natural habitats and how to restore shorelines for the benefit of the environment.  Information is available on their website.

A couple of other great resources to help enhance the water quality in Minnesota lakes and rivers include, Clean Water Minnesota and Minnesota Waters.