As summer winds down and the leaves start to change, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about your property—not just for the cold months ahead, but for the spring to come.
Your regular fall chores can help make your property more lake-friendly by following these simple steps:
- Mulch leaves into your lawn. It helps the grass grow and develop strong root systems, allowing the lawn to do a better job soaking up spring rains.
- Address any areas of erosion. When water runs across eroded surfaces, it picks up pollutants such as sediment, phosphorus, salt, heavy metals, oil, and gas. This polluted water can end up in our lakes, harming people, animals, and plants, and promoting excessive plant and cyanobacteria growth.
- Redirect runoff from roofs and paths. Plan a rain garden to collect water or add an infiltration trench to slow water down.
- Clear culverts and ditches. These drainage features play a key role in managing stormwater. Clogged culverts can lead to localized flooding, road damage, and erosion. Worse, stormwater carries pollutants like sediment, oil, and trash directly into Newfound Lake and its tributaries.
- Plan native plantings for spring. Now’s the time to research which native plants can beautify your property, create a vegetative buffer to safeguard the lake from runoff, and enhance wildlife habitat.
Small changes now can make a big impact later!