Shoreline Restoration and Native Shoreline Buffers

Shoreline projects include lakeshores, ponds and streambanks. These are typically areas of high wildlife use and can play an important role for water quality improvement and slope stability.

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THE NATIVE BUFFER PROGRAM is a voluntary program that encourages the creation of high quality shoreland and streambank buffers that protect water quality.  A shoreland buffer is a naturally vegetated plot of land, located between the water’s edge and the land uphill.  A shoreland buffer can be composed of a mix of native aquatic plants, grasses, wildflowers and/or shrubs and trees.  Basically, it is undisturbed land at your shoreline; this means that your lakeshore would not be mowed or manicured into a sand beach.

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SHORELAND BUFFERS provide benefits to people, the environment, wildlife, and aquatic life.  Restored vegetation at the lake’s edge restores the function of the ecosystem which originally protected the lake before it was altered by humans.  Some of the benefits of a buffer include: filtering of pollutants such as sediment and phosphorous out of runoff from uphill land uses, prevent shoreline erosion by holding soil in place (native plants have deep root systems), provide habitat for wildlife, deter geese from congregating on the lakeshore, and they allow for more leisure time to relax and enjoy the nature of life at the lakeshore.

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Morrison SWCD can offer assistance through an on-site visit with a trained technician to talk with you about goals you have for your property and how to best prepare for a transition to a native shoreline buffer. Funds may even be available to help cover costs related to site preparation and installation of native plants.​