Lake Minnie Belle: Changes Over Time and Lessons Learned

site seededChanges

You will find that you are not the only ones that notice and adapt to the changes that will occur. Jeanine tells us about some visitors who appreciated the return to a natural shoreline.

 


headphone icon, Jeanine Hess closeup Jeanine Hess talks about the first year and the visitors.


Maintenance

Controlling weed growth is very important when using the seeding option. During the first growing season, the seeded area was mowed as needed to reduce weeds and unwanted plants. The Hess' did a prescribed burn the following year.

worker setting fire on Lake Minne Belle project prescribed burn

Burns mimic the natural occurrence of a prairie fire, which encourage wildflower and prairie grass growth while reducing the unwanted weeds.

 

Budget and Timeline

Your time and your money are both important, and you want to make sure you use them wisely.

Steps & Techniques provides useful information for developing a time line for your own project.

Lessons Learned

blooming natives on Lake Minne Belle project

The Lake Minnie Belle demonstration project provided two important lessons:

  • Site preparation was much more labor intensive than the Hess' had anticipated.
  • When using the seeding method, you must have patience for the results. Controlling weeds takes time and patience.

For Jeanine, patience and trust were two important lessons.


headphone icon, Jeanine Hess closeup Insights from Jeanine Hess.


 

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