Lake Mamanasco
Ridgefield, Connecticut
In 2007 the Mamanasco Lake Improvement Fund (MLIF) asked us to design a display garden at the Lake Mamanasco Beach Club site, accessed off Mamanasco Road. The planting will beautify the beach area, utilizing native plants and planting methods supportive of the broader lake ecosystem restoration project. The existing planting, filled with weeds and invasive plants (english plaintain, mint, phragmites, Solidago candadensis) offers limited ornamental appeal and minimal filtration of runoff pollutants. The new planting aspires to be beautiful and functional, demonstrating an eco-friendly approach to waterside and watershed sites. Initial site preparation and planting will be done by the Garden of Ideas. The Mamanasco Beach Club will assist in follow-up care of the plantings.
We property owners in the Mamanasco watershed (an area which includes the Garden of Ideas) make land management decisions which affect the health of this beautiful lake. Creating natural buffers between lake and shoreline comprised of native plants such as white turtle head, joe-pye weed, and blue lobelia help control water runoff, silt and harmful nutrients from flowing into the lake. Fertilizer, road salt and other pollutants make their way downhill. Information about the project will be made available through on-site signage and pamphlets for others looking to replicate or design their own similar buffer garden. The planting project was made possible through a generous grant received by MLIF from the Albert W. and Helen C. Meserve Memorial Fund.
The process and progress of the project will be tracked on this site. This project is just one of the many ways the MLIF is working to control the environmental impact of the population density in the Mamanasco watershed, thus restoring the natural beauty and ecosystem of this recreational Ridgefield lake.
Thanks for visiting!
April 8, 2008 -- before work started
April 2008 - lots of leaves, ugly fencing to deter canadian geese, invasive plants to remove
Barb Hartman, Mimi Dalbey and Kitty Fischer - MLIF members who have worked tirelessly seeing through this project.
Closeup of plants installed and Garden of Ideas crew on site - May 2008
List of plants installed: Panicum virgatum, Eupatorium maculatum, Hibiscus moscheutos, Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia siphilitica, Chelone glabra, Iris versicolor, Verbena hastata, Carex stricta, Myrica pennsylvanica, Clethra alnifolia, Amsonia tabernaemontana, Caltha palustris
Visit www.pinelandsnursery.com or www.newp.com or the Garden of Ideas for assistance in planning your own watershed planting.
Plants installed and mulched. New improved geese repellent fencing in background.
Updates:
June 2 - snapping turtles came ashore over weekend to lay eggs. Some plants were uprooted and replanted when discovered.
August 13, 2008 - seeing some deer damage
October 2008 - weeded, cut back some perennials, added a few more plants, concerned about soil fertility. waiting and watching until next year.
Check back for new photos of this project as season progresses.
And please consider supporting MLIF and the Beach Club. For more info, visit MLIF’s website.
647 North Salem Road, Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877 203-431-9914
