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Hello, I’m here on beautiful Gull Lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan
and soon a group of professional shoreline contractors will be arriving for another hands-on, shoreline construction training.
We will be constructing encapsulated soil lifts on a rock base here on the KBS Shoreline Management Demonstration Area at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biological Station.
Today’s training has been generously supported by the Michigan Plant Industry’s Project GREEEN,
Trident Dock and Dredge, Cardno JFNew,
MSU Extension and Kellogg Biological Station.
And the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership
The KBS shoreline on Gull Lake is subjected to seasonal water level fluctuations,
moderate to high wave energy and occasional ice push.
Encapsulated soil lifts on a rock base provide a biotechnical alternative to vertical sea wall or rock riprap.
Soil lifts will be used to rebuild a bank slightly above the ordinary high water mark
that can better withstand waves and ice action.
It’s a combination of hardscape and softscape --
it’s biotechnical shoreline erosion control.
We’re constructing two different types of encapsulated soil lifts today.
One is a traditional lift constructed with the use of temporary forms.
The forms are set on the rock base, lined with erosion control fabric
and then filled with soil to create the lift.
Then the forms are removed creating a mostly horizontal bench that can support plant material.
The other is a prefabricated soil lift.
This lift comes pre-made with a coir fiber log sewn into the nose of the lift for extra protection from ice and waves.
These can be constructed without the use of forms as the coir log provides structural support for the added soil.
Like the coconut erosion control blankets, the coir logs will eventually biodegrade.
Once a layer, or course, has been constructed,
another course of lift may be added on top of the first – stepped back to create the desired slope.
Today we’re constructing two courses of traditional lift and two courses of prefabricated lift –
making sure they’re well secured at the joints.
The top lifts will tie back into the shoulder of the bank creating a smooth approach.
Robust vegetation is the key to a successful soil lift project.
Lifts may be seeded and/or planted to shrubs, plugs or even live dormant cuttings.
Shrubs and cuttings should be placed between the lifts for sufficient soil contact.
Today we’re seeding our lifts to a native wildflower and grass mix.
We’re also adding a variety of native dogwoods grown in the greenhouse as plugs.
It will take 2-3 years for the lifts to be completely colonized by the plant material.
During that time we’ll be monitoring and comparing our two types of encapsulated soil lifts for plant establishment, resistance to invasive species and ability to withstand site conditions.
The resulting structure will be an attractive and stable rebuilt bank.
A more lake-friendly alternative to vertical sea wall -- providing habitat for songbirds and butterflies.