• Ecological Consulting • Native Plant Nursery• Restoration Services• Cultural Resource Management

Wolf Lake Aquatic Restoration Project

Location Map

Project Background• Initiated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Chicago District under

Section 206 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996

• $6.5 million project cost

• The city of Hammond, IN was a major project collaborator, providing a percentage of matching funds

Project Background• Designed by the Chicago ACOE and Tetra Tech as habitat restoration and to

restore portions of the lake to wetlands similar to pre-settlement conditions

• Islands created by hydraulic dredging of sand from lake bottom

Project Features• 20 acres of islands created and ½ mile of shoreline restored• Over 14 acres of native seed installed• 115,000 native plants and shrubs planted• Over five miles of goose predation fence constructed• Sand prairie, wet prairie, emergent, and deep aquatic habitats created

Project Challenges: sterile sand substrate• Newly constructed island surface similar to that of Mars

• Arid sand had no organic matter, soil structure, microorganisms, yet design called for seeding of species found only in advanced successional stages of ecological progression

• Nutrient deficiency exhibited as red coloration

Project Challenges: Geese

• Goose predation barriers of chicken wire and string were only marginally effective

Goose Repellants

• Predator silhouettes worked for one week until geese caught on

Project Challenges: Exotic Species

Including:

•Phragmites

•Purple Loosestrife

•Eurasian Watermilfoil

Project challenges: water levels

• Note floating algae a top strings, evidence of high water levels

• Record rains destroyed portions of plantings early planting phase

Project Challenges: Water levels

• Beavers plugged outlets, causing altered water levels which delayed planting

Project Challenges: Erosion

Erosion barriers

• Cabled log barriers failed after one winter in high wave energy zones

Sand Prairie after five months of high winds, heavy rains, and goose grazing.

Project Successes

Before

After

Project success: emergent zones

Project Success: Sand Prairie

Project Success: Wet Prairie

Design island shapes for greatest area-to-perimeter ratio…skinny islands can disappear

before stabilization

Lessons Learned

2007, immediately after construction 2009

Lessons learned: use straw blankets on all seeded areas

Blanket No Blanket

Lessons Learned: Protect vulnerable shorelines during vegetative establishment

Lessons Learned: Focus on vegetative stabilization above shoreline

Most vegetative stabilization occurred after a dense sod of native grasses, sedges, and forbs became established in the wet prairie zone adjacent to waterline. Emergent zone plant mortality was very high.

Lessons Learned: Miscellaneous

• Allow island materials to settle and consolidate before planting• Build islands larger than final desired dimensions to allow for erosive attrition• Limit emergent zone plantings to “pods” and protect them rigorously from

predation by geese, carp, and muskrats• Post-planting maintenance is essential• And, be prepared for Nature to trump your plan!

Direct Additional Questions to:

Tony St. Aubin

Operations Manager

tony.staubin@cardno.com

708-932-9306

www.cardnojfnew.com