About the Project

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is working with the City of Neenah Parks and Recreation Department, with support from Wisconsin Healthy Lakes & Rivers, Doty Park Community Partners, Inc., Edgewater Resources and the Wisconsin DNR to install three native plant beds at Doty Park in Neenah.

Check out our project’s goals:

Plant over 1000 square feet of Wisconsin Native Plants in three different garden beds at Doty Park
Slow runoff and let it soak in on land before it enters Lake Winnebago
Add beauty to the park and provide habitat for pollinators
Engage and educate watershed stakeholders
Showcase native plantings that follow the WI Healthy Lakes & Rivers program requirements so visitors can determine if enrolling their own shore is right for them

What’s the Problem?

Runoff & Erosion

When it rains or snow melts, that runoff water needs to go somewhere. It flows over the land, and into the ground, and moves throughout the watershed until it reaches a body of water. Over the years, native vegetation has been reduced around our shorelines.

The loss of native plant buffers means there’s less area for water to soak into the ground on land. It also means that more stormwater runs off faster. Fast moving, excess water makes the fragile banks of the shorelines erode, sending additional sediment and nutrients into the lakes.

Plus, waves can carve out the shoreline from the lake-side. Restoring shorelines to a healthy, functioning state is an important step needed to meet water quality goals. That’s why we’re using native plant beds to help restore our shores.

Project Location

This project is located in Doty Park along the Neenah Channel. The channel connects Lake Winnebago to the Lower Fox River, which drains to the Bay of Green Bay.

In addition to the conservation happening at the project site, the City of Neenah is adding even more native plants to stabilize the shore throughout the park, plus updating park infrastructure.

Visit the park today!

Healthy Lakes and Rivers Demo Site Map 2

What’s the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Program?

Shoreline property owners eligible

The Healthy Lakes & Rivers Program is a statewide initiative to protect and restore the health of WI lakes and rivers by increasing property owner participation in habitat restoration and runoff and erosion control projects.

Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is a local grant partner. Local property owners that work with Fox-Wolf to install this type of project may be eligible to receive a reimbursement of up to $1000. Fox-Wolf assesses eligibility, provides technical guidance, and distributes reimbursements for qualified landowners that work with us.

The three native plant beds at Doty Park follow the Healthy Lakes & Rivers program’s requirements for shoreline buffers. The demonstration site is a great way to check out what native plant buffers look like, to see if they are right for your property.

Contact Fox-Wolf to learn more!

Why Native Plants?

Roots!

Some species have extensive root systems, with lots of branching and surface area to hold onto soil, reducing erosion.
Some species have deep roots (4+ feet!), which help water infiltrate into the ground on land, reducing the amount and speed of runoff.
Some species have both extensive AND deep roots.

basic root diagram (5000 x 1875 px) (4000 x 1875 px)

Native plants have additional benefits too:

Evolved to thrive in local soil and climate conditions, so they tend to require less watering, less fertilizer, and less maintenance
Add habitat for pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies.

What’s Shoreline Restoration?

Shorelines can be protected with a variety of different practices, including native plantings, rain gardens, rock infiltration projects, diversion practices and a few more. These all help to protect fragile shore soils from fast moving water, resulting in less erosive, more stable shorelines.