RLPOA Hybrid Cattail/Waterflow Enhancement Update

April 2022               

The RLPOA Board of Directors is thrilled to inform you that, through its partnership with The Koochiching Soil and Water Conservation District, the “Hybrid Cattail Removal and Waterflow Enhancement'' project has been awarded a Conservation Partners Legacy Grant by the Lessard-Sam Outdoor Heritage Council. The funding includes $399,500 from the State of Minnesota and  $65,000 in matching support from community partners to underwrite the project cost of $465,000.

Our project was funded because grant evaluators recognize that it will enhance the habitat for fish and wildlife in a waterway impacted by the placement of county road 134. This road sheltered the waterway from current and wave action and  trapped nutrients from decades of inadequate septic systems which contributed to the  subsequent rapid encroachment of hybrid cattails. These cattails obliterated the waterway and displaced the native vegetation.

The initial proposal outlined in our January 10, 2021 mailing to RLPOA members was scaled back to include the removal of 9 acres of hybrid cattails on either side of county Road 134.


PROJECT DESIGN

The project is comprised of four main activities:

1. Prescribed burn of cattail biomass. Work will begin in the early spring 2023 with a prescribed burn of the previous year's cattail straw which grows in thickness year after year. The burn will substantially reduce the amount of biomass and the cost of trucking cattail debris off site.  

 

1. Cattail removal. In the summer of 2023, cattails will be removed using methods developed by Voyageurs National Park. The methods include mechanical removal of floating and rooted cattails with a Swamp Devil, and hand held tools for inaccessible cattails near shore and around rocks. The cuttings from the Swamp Devil will be transported with a Harvester Barge to a site on shore where it will be staged and trucked off site. 

 

1. Waterflow enhancement/road improvement. Cattail removal will be followed by the placement of five 58” arch profile culverts in County Road 134 during the summer of 2023. The culverts  will provide a  6 fold increase over existing waterflow without the need to widen or elevate the roadway. We are removing the cattails before enhancing waterflow to lessen the downstream flow of lake sediments from the cattail removal process.

 

1. Seeding with native vegetation. In the late summer or early fall of 2023, native habitat will be enhanced with the planting of a seed mix of 26 species, all native to Koochiching County, on 2 acres of water on the northeastern shoreline of the project area where there are no houses. If feasible, wild rice will be planted in slightly deeper water adjacent to the native seed mix planting. Additional wild rice will be replanted the following two years if previous plantings appear effective.

Removal of hybrid cattails and enhancement of water flow increases the likelihood of success in planting native plant species.  The current dense monoculture of hybrid cattails provides a poor habitat and an inferior food source for wild fish and wildlife. A diverse growth of native plants will significantly improve the habitat for fish and wildlife.

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COLLABORATIONS AND WORDS OF GRATITUDE

A workgroup from RLPOA collaborated with many others to develop the above plan and we would not have succeeded without their support. We wish to acknowledge this teamwork:

• The Soil and Water Conservation District collaborated closely, provided the project manager,  and submitted the grant application.

 

• Rural Fire Protection Agency Board gave approval and the Fire Chief and crew will conduct the prescribed burn.

 

• The County Board of Commissioners voted to support the county match. 

 

• County Engineering contributed to culvert placement design.

 

• RLPOA Board/membership convened the workgroup and will purchase the seed mix and wild rice. 

 

• A Private landowner living within 2 miles of the project  will take the cattail debris. The proximity will help keep the cost of trucking within our budget.

 

• Department of Natural Resources provided the Land Manager and Area Hydrologist.

 

• Voyageurs National Park biologists and Amy Schrank, PhD, (cattail researcher from the U of M) provided powerful Letters of Support and crucially helpful scientific papers on Invasive Cattails.

 

• Rob Ecklund, representative  and Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club, both generously provided helpful Letters of Support.​

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FUTURE PLANS

A public meeting for area residents some time in the fall of 2022.
    
Thank you,
Members of RLPOA Hybrid Cattail Removal and Waterflow Enhancement Workgroup

Jeff Hardwig
Georgia Growette
Eric Johnson
Megan Bond
Jeff Kantor
Dan Vellieux(   RLPOA President)

 PHOTOGRAPH

 Satellite photo with project area outlined in red.