The document summarizes a shoreland restoration project along the shore of Menominee Park in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. A committee of 10 community representatives organized the restoration effort to create a natural buffer zone using native plants. The project has involved volunteer installations and maintenance over multiple years. It provides environmental benefits like erosion control and water filtration. Experts agree the project is successfully establishing native plants and improving the local environment and water quality. The committee plans to continue installations and education efforts going forward.
2. Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland
Committee is the organizing and management
group of the restoration sites, and is comprised
of 10 representatives from throughout the
community, including:
โข Janet Wissink, Winnebago Audubon
โข Zaiga Freivalds, Wild Ones
โข Carol Niendorf, Wild Ones
โข Kathy Prop, League of Women Voters of Winnebago County
โข Dani Stolley, Growing Oshkosh
โข Bill Sturm, advisory, city of Oshkosh Parks
โข Paul Van Auken, Menominee South Neighborhood
Association
โข Samara Hamze, Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board
โข Jan Scalpone, Winnebago Lakes Council
โข Justin Mitchell, chair
Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland
Photo from first installation day,
taken by Mayor Burk Tower.
3. The goal of shoreland
restoration is to create a
natural area along the shore
utilizing native species that
help provide a visually
appealing and environmentally
beneficial buffer zone
between land and water.
Goal of Shoreland Restoration
4. The Wisconsin DNR encourages natural
restoration along Wisconsinโs waterways,
citing numerous benefits including:
โข Reduces shoreline erosion caused by wind and
recreational boat traffic
โข Acts as an important filter strip to prevent
sediment, lawn fertilizer, pesticides and other
urban runoff from reaching the lake
โข Deposits natural debris into water, improving
fish habitat
โข Saves money, time and energy needed for
mowing and lawn maintenance
โข Creates a biological barrier to deter Canada
geese
โข Provides a seasonal array of colors, textures,
aromas and continual wildlife activity
Benefits of Shoreland Restoration 1 of 2
โThe Department certainly
supports your efforts to
restore native vegetation
and habitat along the Fox
River and Lake Winnebago.
Thank you for your
continued efforts.โ
~ Scott Koehnke,
Water Management Specialist,
Wisconsin DNR
5. Benefits of Shoreland Restoration 2 of 2
โข Serve as an increasingly unique habitat for birds,
helping the city of Oshkosh achieve its
committed goals as a Bird City Wisconsin
community. Native plant life provides seed and
nesting habitat commonly removed by a low-cut
grass or chemically treated shoreland.
โข A restoration plot will also serve as host to an
array of butterfly and beneficial insect life,
including the monarch and swallowtail
butterflies, as well as rare and endangered
native species whose historic home has been
along the shore.
โข For users of the Menominee Park trail system, the
absence of geese and correlating goose feces is a
welcoming benefit. Due to the slow response
and take off of geese, they will remain in wide-
open, grassy expanses that enable extended
vision. Trails along any shoreland restoration
area will remain fully free from any goose feces.
โข Parks Department financial savings โ staff time is
not dedicated to mowing or treating.
6. Native Plants Native plant root systems are 20-100
times more extensive and deep than the
standard sod cover root systems (sod is
shown on the far left). These root
systems serve as avenues for water
infiltration, which helps prevent
pollutants from entering the lake. The
native plants utilize these nutrients as
food to assist in plant growth and development
7. Buffer Area
โข Per the WDNR, the ideal depth of a
buffer is 30-35 feet, which maximizes
the filtration and absorption impact of
the plants.
โข Many of the nutrients, pesticides and
other suspended materials that pollute
the waterway will be captured by the
plant growth, where they will be
broken down and absorbed as food by
the plant roots.
โข Dissolved nutrients, such as nitrogen or
phosphorus, are taken up by plants,
thus removing them before they can
enter the lake. For the plants, these
elements are food; for an aquifer, they
are pollution and contribute
significantly to algae and other aquatic
plant growth.
8. Background Support For Restoration 1 of 3
Onterra Study: The Onterra report recommended a
shoreland restoration project that spanned the frontage
area around Millerโs Bay, citing that the restored
shoreland would improve water quality by filtering
out unwanted pollution and fertilizers.
Vision Oshkosh Report: Respondents overwhelmingly
supported implementing a natural shoreland for the
cityโs urban waterfront, prompting the report to
include the following recommendation: "Maintain a
minimum vegetated buffer between all water bodies
and impervious surfaces.โ
10. 1. B. Why 5-Year?
- Encompasses planned installations
of both committee and Menominee
South Neighborhood Association
- Commitment to funders
- Demonstrates long-term
commitment to city
- Provides volunteers and partner
organizations with time-line
- Clarity for neighbors regarding
developments and goals
A group comprising dozens of community
organizations with hundreds of members is
committing hundreds of hours and thousands of
dollars to help the Oshkosh Parks Department address
the findings of the Department-sanctioned Onterra
study, which stated:
โMillerโs Bay shoreline is incredibly poor and
provides no aesthetic, habitat, or buffering value to
the bay. Turf maintenance along the bayโs 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.โ
11. Background Support For Restoration 2 of 3
Oshkosh Sustainability Plan: The plan, which was adopted
in 2012 by both the common council and the city plan
commission, recommends and advocates for restoration of
the city's shoreland area in multiple sections of the plan,
including:
pg 22. restore native vegetative buffers on city shoreland to
protect against polluted run-off, improve aquatic habitat,
discourage geese and decrease algae growth
pg 24. encourage more native plantings on sites to reduce
irrigation, protect shorelines and provide natural
beautification.
12. Background Support For Restoration 3 of 3
Comprehensive Plan: The cityโs
comprehensive plan, which outlines
the main goals and objectives of the
city, states the following (Ch 8):
Goal A: Protect and preserve
wetlands, shorelands.
Goal B: Protect aquatic and wildlife
habitat when managing
development in proximity to
environmental corridors, riparian
areas, and woodlands.
โIn the community survey
conducted as part of the
preparation of this Plan,
respondents identified our
water resources as the most
important asset to the city.
Protection of both the
quantity and quality of
water is critical for health,
business, and recreational
opportunities.โ
~ Oshkosh Comprehensive Plan
Pg 172
13. Restoring The Shore โ Installation 1 of 4
โข September 2011, over 50 volunteers
participated in the Phase 1 restoration
project.
โข The following groups participated in the
project:
~ Oshkosh North High School
~ UW Oshkosh Students
~ Winnebago Audubon
~ Wild Ones
~ The Mayor & Oshkosh Common Council
~ The Oshkosh Sustainability Board
~ Menominee Park neighbors
~ Growing
~ Winnebago County Land & Water
Conservation Department.
14. Restoring The Shore Installation 2 of 4
โข Extensive seeding of native perennial
shoreland and prairie species was
completed, along with about 200 2-
inch plugs scattered throughout.
โข The total installation area was
approximately 10,000 square feet.
โข Erosion control matting was placed
over the plantings, and wood chips
paths were installed for fishing and
other recreational use in the park.
โข The total cost of the initial installation
was approximately $9500.00, which
was funded through non-municipal
sources.
17. Collaboration Award Recipient
The Oshkosh Parks Department and
Justin Mitchell, on behalf of the
Friends of Menominee Park
Shoreland, were presented with a
community excellence award for
impact collaboration from Dorry
Wilner and the the Winnebago
Collaboration Working Group
(WCWG).
WCWG is comprised of over thirty
organizations from the community
including the United Way, the
Oshkosh Police, Winnebago County,
ADVOCAP, UW Extension, Habitat for
Humanity, and many other community
service groups.
18. Community Education
โข Installed educational sign
providing information on
native plants and shoreland
buffers (image on right).
โข Students from Oshkosh
North High School and UW
Oshkosh have participated
in installation and
maintenance days.
โข A neighborhood
pre/elementary school
group participated in
plantings.
โข UW Oshkosh and Oshkosh
North High School
Communities Program
partnership
19. Maintaining and Enhancing 1 of 3 (2012)
The 2012 season was the first growing
season of the shoreline.
Year 1 entails the establishment of a
plant canopy to prevent erosion and to
eliminate competition from unwanted
โweedโ seeds that are present in the
soil.
Because many native plants are slow
growing, an annual cover crop of grasses
was incorporated into the planting.
Year 1 maintenance entailed a spring
and fall weeding by volunteers, with
ragweed largely eliminated from the
bed.
20. Maintaining and Enhancing 2 of 3 (2013)
The 2013 season saw an excellent
establishment of yellow black-eyed
Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), as well as
the beginnings of many other native
plant species.
Two additional maintenance days
were conducted, with work including
the installation of mulched trails,
the planting of several hundred
perennial plugs (small, 2 inch potted
native plants), and installation of an
educational sign funded by the
Wisconsin Audubon Society.
21. Maintaining and Enhancing 3 of 3 (2014)
2014 has been a terrific season for the shoreland
site, with an impressive diversity of life present.
Native monarda, milkweeds, vervain, and
rattlesnake master have become established,
joining over 25 other plant species. An array of
butterflies and birds can also be found on site.
In early summer, a maintenance day was
completed to remove canada thistle and an
undesirable vine from the shore.
In addition, the cup plant, which is a vigorous
native that can exceed 8 feet in height, was cut
back to the ground to remain consistent with the
goal of growing low and medium height plants. A
goal for 2015 is to dig up the cup plants by May
and transplant them to another area of the park
where height is not a concern.
50 additional new native plugs were installed in
areas along the shore.
22. Addressing Concerns 1 of 5: Geese / Animals
Geese stay away from the
plantings and prefer open grass
areas. The trail along the
restoration is clear and free of
goose waste.
In addition, there have been
no sightings of raccoons or
other urban pests, as
suggested.
In early summer 2014, one
duck was seen nesting. In
addition, the nests of several
small bird species was
identified by Oshkosh Bird
Festival Committee members.
23. Addressing Concerns 2 of 5: Location
The current site of the
restoration is in an area of the
park that is often filled with
parked cars. This area has the
parkโs only north end driveway
and parking area. Across the
driveway is a field with trees,
followed by Menominee Drive.
This area was selected by city
parks staff due to the minimal
impact it would have on lake
view disruption.
All proposed expansions in
the 5 year plan would take
place in areas that have no
residential neighbors,
including areas like Webster
Stanley Elementary and the
Water Treatment Facility.
24. Addressing Concerns 3 of 5: Height of Plants
Restorations typically include trees
and tall shrubbery, in addition to
native perennials.
The Menominee Park Shoreland
Restoration site at the base of Ames
Point does not include any newly
planted trees or shrubs (park trees
were present prior to any
restoration work).
In addition, species that are
present that are tall growing are
being removed, as seen in the
photo.
25. Addressing Concerns 4 of 5: Other
Claim: There wonโt be
access for fishing.
Response: The several
hundred feet of restoration
does not have an impact on
fishing accessibility in
Menominee Park, which
boasts over 13,000 feet of
shoreline frontage.
However, in recognition of
the positive benefits a
restoration site can have
for fishing, a mulched trail
was installed near the
shore, allowing access for
fishing, hiking, bird
watching, and other
recreational park uses.
Claim: It will turn into
an unusable wetland.
Response: Unlike much of
the park strip running
along Menominee Drive,
the restoration site will
not have standing water
and will not be wet,
unless the lake rises
significantly.
The ground was not dug
out or lowered during
installation. The root
systems help water
infiltrate, while the
plants absorb water
quickly.
Claim: The site will not
be well cared for.
Response: All gardens
require care, including a
natural native shoreland
planting. And the
Oshkosh community has
responded very positively
with the restoration
project. Since 2011, over
120 volunteers have
together dedicated over
300 hours caring for the
restoration site.
This dedication and
commitment to improving
our cityโs parks and water
system is highly
commendable.
26. Addressing Concerns 5 of 5: Response
The committee has, from the
beginning, completed everything that
the parks staff has requested,
including maintenance, improvements,
planning, and more.
The committee has gone farther,
sponsoring a full-park shoreland
cleanup which included 40 UW Oshkosh
students who picked up trash and
completed maintenance throughout
the zoo.
The committee has been responsive,
transparent, dedicated to improving
the shoreland habitat as recommended
throughout city policy.
30. Partners & Support โ Oshkosh SAB, Oshkosh Storm Water Utility
Board, League of Women Voters
31. 6. Partners & Support โ Winnebago County, Menominee South
Neighborhood Association
32. Partners & Support โ Tim Hoyman, Onterra
October 2014
โSince the Millerโs 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.
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 Millerโs Bay and Lake Winnebago.โ
~ Tim Hoyman, CLM, Aquatic Ecologist, Onterra, LLC
33. Partners & Support โ Key Expert Support Comments
The Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration Project is โcurrently a healthy, diverse and well-
established native shoreland restoration. We see this as an opportunity to create an educational
and environmentally positive restoration project in an urbanized setting and simultaneously
improve water quality.โ
~ Thomas Davies, Winnebago County Land and Water Conservation Department
Director
โThe Winnebago Lakes Council fully supports the efforts to improve this waterfront resource and
we are pleased to see the project has fulfilled every expectation.
~ Winnebago Lakes Council
โThe Storm Water Utility Board supports the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration 5-Year Plan
as a valuable step in improving the cityโs shoreland management and in helping the city comply
with the public education / outreach, public involvement / participation and erosion / runoff
control requirements of the DNR storm water discharge permit. The current installation has
demonstrated great success in establishing a strong density and diversity of native plant life,
which together maximizes the installationโs benefits. The additional proposed installations will
further the capacity to protect and improve our local water.โ
~ Oshkosh Storm Water Utility Board
34. The experts with knowledge of water
resource management and shoreland
management best practices unanimously
agree:
1. Menominee Park setting is an excellent
location for restoration
2. Restoration will improve water quality
and the local environment.
3. The existing installation is a healthy
success
35. Next Steps
Native Plant Sale โ all funds raised will support restoration efforts in Oshkosh
โข May 2, 2015: Native Plant Sale at the Oshkosh Farmers Market
โข May 3, 2015: Native Plant Sale at First Congregational Church
โข Choose from 15 different native species
36. Despite having previously been approved, the parks advisory board
voted to remove authorization to restore this area at the base of
Ames Point, preventing restoration.
37. Next Steps
Expansion: The Committee proposed a 5-year management plan for shoreland
restoration. The parks board voted this plan down, while authorizing an
expansion plot near the Menominee Park Stormwater Pump Station.
A massive
restoration
project
work say is
scheduled
for
Saturday,
May 9, 2015
38. Stormwater Pump Station
โข Across from Webster Stanley School lies the Menominee Park
stormwater pump station, which moves untreated stormwater
runoff into the lake to prevent residential flooding.
โข The area surrounding the outlet pipe is an excellent restoration
location, including a proposed 100 feet on the south side of the
pump outlet sign and 60 feet on the north side, spanning a depth
of about 20 feet (the area on the north is smaller to avoid
blocking any neighbor views).
โข No trails will be incorporated in this area to align with the cityโs
interest in not encouraging individuals to utilize this area.
โข Supported by city of Oshkosh public works staff and Stormwater
Utility Board.
39. How you can help
โข Send a note of support for the restoration project to the
committee: justin_mitchell1@yahoo.com OR to the Parks
Department.
โข Provide a donation to the restoration project. Donations can be
sent to the city parks department (attention shoreland
restoration).
โข Purchase plants at our annual plant sale.
โข Join us for a planting day.
Editor's Notes
This presentation will provide an overview of shoreland restoration efforts in Menominee Park. Topics will include: who has been involved, goals and benefits, what weโve done, the background that led to restoration, addressing concerns, and moving forward. This photo is from the summer of 2014 at the restoration site.
The restoration project has been a citizen-led initiative, including a broad range of community groups and individuals. Neighbors, local environmental organizations, civic groups, and more have come together to lead the restoration effort. Decisions are made by committee, with participation open to stakeholders and supporters. The photo was taken by Mayor Burk Tower at the initial installation date.
The goal of shoreland restoration is to create a natural area along the shore utilizing native species that help provide a visually appealing and environmentally beneficial buffer zone between land and water. This photo is from the second year of the restoration. Black Eyed Susans are the common early establishment plant at new restoration sites, quickly establishing a beautiful sea of yellow.
Restoration provides many benefits to the local environment, water, and community. The Wisconsin DNR encourages natural restoration along Wisconsinโs waterways, citing numerous benefits including:
Reduces shoreline erosion caused by wind and recreational boat traffic
Acts as an important filter strip to prevent sediment, lawn fertilizer, pesticides and other urban runoff from reaching the lake
Deposits natural debris into water, improving fish habitat
Saves money, time and energy needed for mowing and lawn maintenance
Creates a biological barrier to deter Canada geese
Provides a seasonal array of colors, textures, aromas and continual wildlife activity
The Wisconsin DNR has been a supporter of the restoration project from its beginning.
Additional established benefits include:
Shoreland restoration serves as an increasingly unique habitat for birds, helping the city of Oshkosh achieve its committed goals as a Bird City Wisconsin community. Native plant life provides seed and nesting habitat commonly removed by a low-cut grass or chemically treated shoreland.
A restoration plot will also serve as host to an array of butterfly and beneficial insect life, including the monarch and swallowtail butterflies, as well as rare and endangered native species whose historic home has been along the shore.
For users of the Menominee Park trail system, the absence of geese and correlating goose feces is a welcoming benefit. Due to the slow response and take off of geese, they will remain in wide-open, grassy expanses that enable extended vision. Trails along any shoreland restoration area will remain fully free from any goose feces.
Parks Department financial savings โ staff time is not dedicated to mowing or treating.
Figure 2: Native plant root systems are regularly 20-100 times more extensive and deep than the standard sod cover root systems (sod is shown on the far left). These root systems serve was avenues for water infiltration, which helps prevent water and pollutants from entering the lake. The native plants utilize these nutrients as food to assist in plant growth and development. The circled area depicts the current sod system, with roots reaching about 4-6 inches.
Per the WDNR, the ideal depth of a buffer is 30-35 feet, which maximizes the filtration and absorption impact of the plants.
Many of the nutrients, pesticides and other suspended materials that pollute the waterway will be captured by the plant growth, where they will be broken down and absorbed as food by the plant roots.
Dissolved nutrients, such as nitrogen or phosphorus, are taken up by plants, thus removing them before they can enter the lake. For the plants, these elements are food; for an aquifer, they are pollution and contribute significantly to algae and other aquatic plant growth.
The concert of restoration in Menominee Park was heavily rooted in existing city policy and community planning. The Onterra Study, which was funded by the city under the direction of the parks department, recommended a shoreland restoration project that spanned the frontage area around Millerโs Bay, citing that the restored shoreland would improve water quality by filtering out unwanted pollution and fertilizers.In the cityโs extensive Vision Oshkosh assessment, respondents overwhelmingly supported implementing a natural shoreland for the cityโs urban waterfront, prompting the report to include the following recommendation: "Maintain a minimum vegetated buffer between all water bodies and impervious surfaces.โ
The city of Oshkosh and the parks department has not had any plan for management of Millerโs Bay. In response to concerns about aquatic plant growth, the parks board annually recommended spending over $25,000 to spray chemical herbicides throughout the bay. The shoreland committee has pressed the city for a more sustainable and responsible process of managing the bay.
A group comprising dozens of community organizations with hundreds of members is committing hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to help the Oshkosh Parks Department address the findings of the Department-sanctioned Onterra study, which stated:
โMillerโs Bay shoreline is incredibly poor and provides no aesthetic, habitat, or buffering value to the bay. Turf maintenance along the bayโs 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.โ
Additional guidance and support came from the Oshkosh Sustainability Plan: The plan, which was adopted in 2012 by both the common council and the city plan commission, recommends and advocates for restoration of the city's shoreland area in multiple sections of the plan, including:
pg 22. restore native vegetative buffers on city shoreland to protect against polluted run-off, improve aquatic habitat, discourage geese and decrease algae growthย
pg 24. encourage more native plantings on sites to reduce irrigation, protect shorelines and provide natural beautification.
The cityโs comprehensive plan, which outlines the main goals and objectives of the city, states the following (Ch 8):
Goal A: Protect and preserve wetlands, shorelands.
Goal B: Protect aquatic and wildlife habitat when managing development in proximity to environmental corridors, riparian areas, and woodlands.
From pg 172 in the comprehensive plan: โIn the community survey conducted as part of the preparation of this Plan, respondents identified our water resources as the most important asset to the city. Protection of both the quantity and quality of water is critical for health, business, and recreational opportunities.โ
We finally starting getting our handsn dirty in September 2011, with the help of over 50 volunteers from throughout the neighborhood and community.
The initial installation involved the following:
Extensive seeding of native perennial shoreland and prairie species was completed, along with about 200 2-inch plugs scattered throughout. ย
The total installation area was approximately 10,000 square feet.
Erosion control matting was placed over the plantings, and wood chips paths were installed for fishing and other recreational use in the park. ย
The total cost of the initial installation was approximately $9500.00, which was funded through non-municipal sources.
This is an image from the shoreline before restoration. It depicts a shoreline yellowed from chemical application. This site provides minimal aesthetic value, no ecological value, and as stated by aquatic biologists with Onterra, facilitates water pollution.
After 3 years of installation, a healthy and diverse native prairie has become established. In addition to the benefits to our water system, a restored shoreline has significant benefits for native wildlife. 80% of Wisconsinโs endangered species utilize shoreland as their main habitat. It is the destruction of natural shoreland that has caused the majority of these species to become endangered. Visitors to the prairie in summer will consistently observe hundreds of different species of insects, birds, butterflies and more, a sign of how successful this project has been. All photos taken by restoration volunteers in 2013 and 2014.
The restoration site has received recognition from the community for our collaborative work. The Oshkosh Parks Department and Justin Mitchell, on behalf of the Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland, were presented with a community excellence award for impact collaboration from Dorry Wilner and the the Winnebago Collaboration Working Group (WCWG).
WCWG is comprised of over thirty organizations from the community including the United Way, the Oshkosh Police, Winnebago County, ADVOCAP, UW Extension, Habitat for Humanity, and many other community service groups.
The restoration project has placed an emphasis on facilitating education related to native plantings, shoreland management, water quality, and sustainability. Educational signage has been installed. Many students from local schools have participated in work days. Upcoming collaborations with Oshkosh North High School and UW Oshkosh will help with project installation while engaging in hands on community learning.
The 2012 season was the first growing season of the shoreline.
Year 1 entails the establishment of a plant canopy to prevent erosion and to eliminate competition from unwanted โweedโ seeds that are present in the soil.
Because many native plants are slow growing, an annual cover crop of grasses was incorporated into the planting.
Year 1 maintenance entailed a spring and fall weeding by volunteers, with ragweed largely eliminated from the bed.
The 2013 season saw an excellent establishment of yellow black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta), as well as the beginnings of many other native plant species.
Two additional maintenance days were conducted, with work including the installation of mulched trails, the planting of several hundred perennial plugs (small, 2 inch potted native plants), and installation of an educational sign funded by the Wisconsin Audubon Society.
2014 has been a terrific season for the shoreland site, with an impressive diversity of life present.
Native monarda, milkweeds, vervain, and rattlesnake master have become established, joining over 25 other plant species. An array of butterflies and birds can also be found on site.
In early summer, a maintenance day was completed to remove canada thistle and an undesirable vine from the shore.
In addition, the cup plant, which is a vigorous native that can exceed 8 feet in height, was cut back to the ground to remain consistent with the goal of growing low and medium height plants. A goal for 2015 is to dig up the cup plants by May and transplant them to another area of the park where height is not a concern.
50 additional new native plugs were installed in areas along the shore.
Addressing Concerns 1 of 5: Geese / Animals -- Geese stay away from the plantings and prefer open grass areas. The trail along the restoration is clear and free of goose waste.
In addition, there have been no sightings of raccoons or other urban pests, as suggested.
In early summer 2014, one duck was seen nesting. In addition, the nests of several small bird species was identified by Oshkosh Bird Festival Committee members.
The current site of the restoration is in an area of the park that is often filled with parked cars. This area has the parkโs only north end driveway and parking area. Across the driveway is a field with trees, followed by Menominee Drive. This area was selected by city parks staff due to the minimal impact it would have on lake view disruption.
All proposed expansions in the 5 year plan would take place in areas that have no residential neighbors, including areas like Webster Stanley Elementary and the Water Treatment Facility.
Restorations typically include trees and tall shrubbery, in addition to native perennials.
The Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration site at the base of Ames Point does not include any newly planted trees or shrubs (park trees were present prior to any restoration work).
In addition, species that are present that are tall growing are being removed, as seen in the photo.
Many other false claims have been made about the site, leading to the realization that significant outreach and education is necessary for the community to understand this project.
The committee has, from the beginning, completed everything that the parks staff has requested, including maintenance, improvements, planning, and more.
The committee has gone farther, sponsoring a full-park shoreland cleanup which included 40 UW Oshkosh students who picked up trash and completed maintenance throughout the zoo.
The committee has been responsive, transparent, dedicated to improving the shoreland habitat as recommended throughout city policy.
The Shoreland Restoration Project came up with the parks advisory board for review in 2014. A small vocal component of the parks board was strongly opposed to any naturalized plantings in the park. One member called for removal of the entire project. In response, the Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland obtained letters of support from groups throughout the community. This is a sampling of the letters received โ all letters are available online. This page shows letters of support from UW Oshkosh, the Winnebago Lakes Council, and State Representative Hintz, who was involved in acquiring funds for the city to complete the Onterra study.
Support letters from Growing Oshkosh, Oshkosh Bird Fest, and the Oshkosh Garden Club.
Letters of support from the Winnebago Audubon, Citizenโs Natural Resource Association, and Wild Ones
Support letters from the city of Oshkosh Sustainability Advisory Board, the Oshkosh Storm Water Utility Board, and the League of Women Voters.
Additional letters of support from Winnebago County, and the local neighborhood assosication that borders the southern half of Menominee Park.
The author of the Onterra study provided a letter of support for the restoration project, stating, โโSince the Millerโs Bay plan was finalized, the USEPA has released the results of the 2012 National Lakes Assessment.ย Natural shoreland destruction was found to be the greatest factor degrading our lakes within the State of Wisconsin and nation.ย Restoring shorelands to a more natural condition works to reverse that impact.
I was pleased to see that the City had moved in the right direction by allowing the restoration to occur.ย The City set an excellent example for area residents, Winnebago shoreline property owners, and area municipalities by moving forward with the restoration.ย By removing the restoration, the City would set an incredibly poor example and take a step backwards in its management of Millerโs Bay and Lake Winnebago.โ
Several key bodies in the community offered strong support for the project. Thomas Davies, who heads the Winnebago County Land and Water Conservation Department, stated The Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration Project is โcurrently a healthy, diverse and well-established native shoreland restoration. We see this as an opportunity to create an educational and environmentally positive restoration project in an urbanized setting and simultaneously improve water quality.โ
The experts with knowledge of water resource management and shoreland management best practices unanimously agree:
Menominee Park setting is an excellent location for restoration
Restoration will improve water quality and the local environment.
The existing installation is a healthy success
Next Steps: Native Plant Sale โ all funds raised will support restoration efforts in Oshkosh
May 2, 2015: Native Plant Sale at the Oshkosh Farmers Market
May 3, 2015: Native Plant Sale at First Congregational Church
Choose from 15 different native species
Despite having previously been approved, the parks advisory board voted to remove authorization to restore this area at the base of Ames Point, preventing restoration.
Expansion: The Committee proposed a 5-year management plan for shoreland restoration. The parks board voted this plan down, while authorizing an expansion plot near the Menominee Park Stormwater Pump Station. A massive restoration project work say is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2015
How you can help: Send a note of support for the restoration project to the committee: justin_mitchell1@yahoo.com OR to the Parks Department.
Provide a donation to the restoration project. Donations can be sent to the city parks department (attention shoreland restoration).
Purchase plants at our annual plant sale.
Join us for a planting day.