2018 Natural Edge Projects

Last year, the Lower Souris Watershed Committee completed four restoration sites for the Natural Edge Program. With Natural Edge, LSWC chose sites along fish bearing water bodies that had unstable and eroding shorelines due to insufficient vegetation. The LSWC, along with volunteers from the Moosomin Generals football club, planted hundreds of willow and dogwood plugs. These shrubs will grow and stabilize the banks with their roots. This program continues and we hope to complete another four sites this year.

LSWC recently received a grant from Enbridge that will allow us to do a park beautification project at Moosomin Lake with the Moosomin and District Regional Park. There is a small peninsula that goes out into the lake that will be improved with a pathway, signage, and a gazebo. In addition, we will improve plant diversity on the peninsula and plant native species with funding from Natural Edge. The diversified plant species will help bring in more native wildlife, create a stronger soil bed, and native tree species will help provide shade and shelter.

We currently have found two other sites that we are planning on doing restorations on, but we are still looking for another site. Do you have a shoreline property along a fish bearing water body? Natural Edge and the LSWC can help do a shoreline restoration and can cover 100% of the costs. We can help with:

A free site visit to discuss shoreline concerns, provide recommendations, and assess planting conditions
A personalized planting plan, including photos of selected planting areas and ideal plant species
The ordering, delivering, planting, and mulching of all plants
A free Stewardship Manual to ensure that the newly planted vegetation thrives in the first few years of establishment and growth
Follow-up and support with your new plants