Lake Owasso Shoreline Restoration

Project Goals:

• Reduce erosion by stabilizing the shore areas with deep-rooted plants to improve water quality
• Manage invasive plant species to promote diversity and increase the native plant population
• Provide high-quality habitat by introducing native plant species to benefit fish, amphibians, birds, and pollinators.
• Create a more resilient and colorful shoreline

Overview:

Lake Owasso, situated north of Bennett Lake and south of Lake Wabasso in the Owasso Chain, is the largest lake in the District. Over the past several years, the District has been working to reduce the invasive carp population in Lake Owasso and surrounding water bodies.

With the recent completion of work at Lake Owasso County Park, RWMWD has partnered with Ramsey County and secured a Conservation Partners Legacy Grant to restore over 700 feet of shoreline between the boat launch and swimming beach along the northeast shore of Lake Owasso. The majority of the work will occur in the spring and summer of 2022.

In the fall of 2021, District staff, with the help of the Conservation Corps, began to remove invasive plant species, including reed canary grass, Canada thistle, and a thicket of young willow trees. District staff will take the lead on the ecological restoration project in design and implementation, partnering with Ramsey County Parks staff in site preparation, installation, and management techniques. We are already coordinating with local schools to incorporate the Owasso shoreline restoration into their curriculum.

We uncovered several valuable native plant species during our initial work, including three-square bulrush, water plantain, and hard stem bulrush. Lake Owasso is home to diverse wildlife and a community of passionate people dedicated to protecting the treasures of Lake Owasso. We look forward to restoring this shoreline site to its full potential in the coming months and years.

.  Earlier in the spring of 2022, the Natural Resources team conducted a controlled burn to eliminate invasive species and prepared the area for planting.  They are currently reintroducing native aquatic, wetland, and prairie species to the shoreline with the assistance of school groups and Citizen Advisory Committee volunteers.