Special consideration was taken to bluff dynamics and site ecology throughout the project to minimized site impact as much as possible during construction. Other improvements to the property, including invasive species management and supplemental native woody and herbaceous plantings. Our Stewardship team has been keeping the new native plantings happy and healthy through regular maintenance for the past several years.

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The upper 100 square foot flagstone patio follows a black locust plank boardwalk down the bluff to a 260 square foot covered terrace overlook. The overlook patio was constructed with a mixture of flagstone and black locust log “cookies”. The back retaining wall consists of black locust logs and the cedar log roof was covered in engineered soil with coir matting and planted with nearly 200 plugs of native grasses and forbs. Black locust stairs continue down the bluff from the overlook and descend to the covered boathouse. The boathouse was constructed of dry stack stone with a Douglas fir beam roof finished with custom copper shingles. The boathouse faces 500 square feet of flagstone patio and a custom fire pit with five large limestone rocks for seating.

Another fun and challenging aspect of this project was the rerouting of a natural spring on the property to create a recirculating water feature. Additionally, Marek utilized a steep slope restoration technique that uses a compost- based bio-engineered soil matrix with close to 50 species of native plant grasses, sedges, and forbs to increase initial stability, weed resistance, and early native plant germination.

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Black Locust is one of our favorite materials to create with. Durable and rot-resistant, it makes an excellent choice of lumber for boardwalks, decks, posts for handrails or lighting, and various other structures, such as this retaining wall. We typically harvest wood this invasive tree in the Winter months alongside the removal of other non-desirable woody species.

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In 2021 our stewardship team installed six planters on the property to add some greenery to this urban landscape. Each planter is unique, containing a variety of sedges, grasses, shrubs, forbs, and even trees native to the area. Some of the species you’ll spot in these planters include quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), eastern star sedge (Carex radiata), common witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), and purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea). These plants were chosen due to their being low-maintenance and able to survive in an urban environment, in addition to their ornamental value.

In winter, we decorated the planters with festive boughs, winterberry, and reindeer moss.

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Marek’s involvement with Indian Creek began in 2007 with construction work, during which we removed a concrete channel liner, built a retaining wall, and revegetated the area with a variety of native plants and trees. We then worked with MMSD to develop a comprehensive vegetative maintenance plan and a seeding plan. Our stewardship team implemented this plans under several contracts starting in 2008 under MMSD and most recently in 2015-present with the Village of Fox Point. Along with mowing and selective weeding, we’ve conducted several prescribed burns to reduce the cattail population. Cattail was further controlled with the use of selective herbicide treatment through 2018. Invasive species control was expanded in 2018 to include mitigation efforts for cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus) and glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula).

Native vegetation cover has become visibly higher and more diverse throughout the project area. Dominant native species include cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), water plantain (Alisma sp.), blue flag iris (Iris versicolor), goldenrod species (Solidago spp.), aster species (Aster spp.) and rush species (Schoenoplectus spp., Scirpus spp.).

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The challenges of meeting grades, maintaining slope stability, and avoiding damage to trees and ground layer plants were met by utilizing compact equipment, state of the art methods, and highly skilled operators. Stabilization with the use of Filtrexx living walls and compost blankets allowed for bioengineering that favors the native plant community and suppresses weeds while minimizing synthetic geotextiles. Restoration work included several large ironwood trees, a range of woody understory plants, and a target sewn, high diversity, herbaceous ground layer seeding that spanned several slope aspects and plant community types.

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