How to Optimize Your Shoreline

Natural shorelines, unaltered by manicuring, clear-cutting, or concrete barriers, are the staples of lake living.

Enjoying time on the lake with family is central to the experience of owning a property with a shore. Often, lake lifers want to know how to optimize their beach and what is allowed via the Department of Natural Resources.

As owners of land in Minnesota, we are also proud stewards for a better natural environment.

Optimizing the shore is easier than one may think. Here's our guide to the shorelines of the many Thousand Lakes in Minnesota.

A Laissez Faire Approach

Although it can be tempting to start pulling up logs and rocks on the shoreline, one should ignore the impulse. Instead of using your vacation to "tidy up" the water's edge, you can relax in a hammock, enjoying the summer months' perfect weather.

The reason for this approach is the "green barrier."

This is a strip of native plants, shrubs, and trees with their extensive root systems form a "green wall" of protection for shorelines. The barrier buffers erosive forces from the lake, such as waves and boat wakes and prevents runoff from carrying nutrients and sediments into the water.

Longtime residents know just how damaging flooding can be to a shore that has erosion damage.

A healthy shore is a home to countless wild species. Up to 90 percent of all lake species are born, raised, and fed within the shallows of your beach.

Learning What to Weed and When to Be Active

Residents of lake country might not know that when weeding the shoreline, they're, in fact damaging local fauna.

People might dig up what they think are weeds along their shore, then go to the local nursery to buy the same wildflowers. Technology can be a guide in this with apps like iNaturalist. Some apps can take a picture of a plant or animal and then help you identify it.

While we may be encouraging more recreation than you're comfortable with, here are times to take action when caring for your lakeshore property.

We always have recommended residents keep grass clippings, leaves, and washed up plant debris out of the lake. Use a mulching lawnmower and leave grass clippings on the lawn as a natural fertilizer; keep in mind that excess material can be blown around with a good strong wind.

Minimize Your Mowing

Lawns can be a touchy topic. You'll rarely see an unkempt yard in lakes country. However, it's worth noting that shallow-rooted grass is essentially ornamental and a hardened surface that gives contaminants such as fertilizers and pesticides a quick ride into the water.

The easy solution is to cut grass a little taller and minimize your fertilizer application by the lake. Take note of how water travels through your yard. Landscapers in lakes area can advise the best way to prevent erosion and keep a well-manicured yard.

Optimized Landscaping

In the past, many lake residents sought retaining walls to combat erosion. Hardened structures cause waves to reflect with tremendous energy. In the end, there's a more exposed shoreline and more erosion. If you bought a home with a retaining structure and are looking to remove it, look at the adjacent shorelines that haven't been altered, and you'll see they aren't receding.

Don't Sacrifice Trees for Sight

The green giants on your shoreline aren't there to prevent your view. Trees absorb runoff, taking water from the ground and releasing it back into the air. Overhanging vegetation provides shade and a steady supply of dead insects and other organic "fall" for young fish sheltering in the shallows.

In Minnesota, trees aren't as plentiful as in rainforests like the Pacific Northwest. We have to be selective about uprooting trees. Although services can move trees, one should do this with caution.

By being mindful of your shore's ribbon of life, you can have your lake time and hear loon calls too. We encourage all lake life residents to promote the health of our natural resources and celebrate the beauty of nature that we all get to enjoy.