1. Simply stop mowing. If you mow near the shoreline, back up 25-50 ft to create a buffer zone to protect the lake. Native plants will automatically spring up within about 10 ft from the water! (if no pesticides or fertilizer is used).
2. Stop broadcast pesticides and fertilizer, often used on lawns but also as commercial mosquito spray. Save money! And more importantly, save your enjoyment of lakeshore as nesting birds return, because there will be insects for their baby birds to eat. The change is remarkable.
3. Allow dead trees or limbs that fall into the water to stay in place, if possible, to create habitat for fish and other wildlife. Less work and expense!
4. If your property already has riprap, allow native plants to grow there without any trimming. If there is impervious coverage under the rocks, such as plastic sheeting, cut into it to allow natives to emerge.
5. Check labels and refuse to buy any spot fertilizer containing phosphorus, which is present in most “organic” fertilizers (made from animal waste) and is advertised as good because it is “natural”, but it is not safe or healthy for lakes. According to Minnesota law, phosphorus-containing fertilizer cannot be applied to lawns (with some exceptions), but it is not illegal to sell it. When faced with a choice, please choose to protect our lakes.
6. Above all, resist the impulse to be neat and tidy; instead, tap into your wild side! Imagine the mystery and grandeur of natural shoreland and bring it home to your lakeshore. When lakeshore owners let native plants grow, they realize the pleasures of a whole new natural world.