(Orleans)– Work continues on a major shoreline restoration project on the north side of East Lake Okoboji at Isthmus Park. It’s a project we first reported on earlier this winter. Mike Hawkins, Regional Fisheries Biologist Management Supervisor for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the work is taking place along the shoreline from Hill Avenue east to Beach Avenue in Orleans. He says most of the work right now consists of the removal of detrimental trees…
“Trees that have been identified as hazards, a lot of hollowed out cottonwood trees. Mostly what we’re taking down is cottonwood trees. All in an effort to be able to have access and to get to the shoreline and protect that shoreline. So the next phase of the project will then be some armoring, some native field stone armoring along the shoreline in areas, and we’re also going to be using some more natural approaches with coyer logs and coconut fiber logs to secure the shoreline, and some new plantings. In the park area, Isthmus Park, which people know off of Hill Avenue, that will all be restored to turf grass and re-graded and kind of look the way it did. And then along the hatchery grounds, to the east, that area, much of that area will have some prairie restoration done along the shoreline after a lot of those trees and brush have come down.”
Hawkins says a major goal of the project is to prevent future shoreline erosion. He adds that improvements are also planned for a gravel boat ramp in that area, along with some improvements the city of Orleans is making at an access near Beach Avenue, near the fish hatchery.
Hawkins says some new, desirable species of trees, such as oaks, will be planted along the shoreline once the construction is complete late this spring…
“It really looks messy right now. I know when folks take a look at it it’s going to look a little raw, but bare with us, we’ve got a great engineer that helps us here with the Department of Natural Resources and it sounds like he’s working really well with the contractor that’s been hired. We’ll keep track of that and everything should start to look better here a little bit later this spring.”
Hawkins urges people to stay out of the areas where the work is going on.
