PowerPoint Presentation

We conducted a buffer strip survey of every shoreline residence on September 16th. The survey categories included qualitative measurements of lakeshore coverage, buffer depth, slope, composition of shrubs and trees, and presence of rip rap on each property. These assessments combined to form an overall grade for each buffer. As you can see, failing buffer strips unfortunately made up the largest category. This buffer strip map shows the location of every buffer strip survey and the color corresponds to its rating. Red fail, orange, poor, yellow fair, and green as good. Arrows point to concentrations of failing buffer strips that also correspond with areas of intense development. The western shore includes the steepest slopes in the watershed, and are not developed. Most of the shoreline lots have less frontage than current regulations require. While a prime lake view is nice, failing buffer strips are detrimental to water quality and can be easily remedied by planting shrubs and trees and allowing the natural vegetation to grow along the water.