Ravine Inventory and Preliminary Design for Lake Minnewaska's South Shore

Lake Minnewaska, a highly used recreational lake, is the largest body of water in Pope County. While scientific studies show that the transparency in Lake Minnewaska has been increasing over the last 30 years, there are numerous ravines on the south shore of Lake Minnewaska that could threaten this trend. The erosion in these ravines is causing large amounts of sediment and phosphorus to be dumped directly into Lake Minnewaska. After a storm in 2011, many trees vegetating the ravines were blown down, ripping out the roots and further exposing the soil along these ravines.
Pope Soil and Water Conservation District (Pope SWCD) will conduct a full inventory of the ravines on the south shore of Lake Minnewaska. With landowner permission, site surveys will be conducted to evaluate the condition of the ravines. When the main problem areas are identified, the SWCD will continue to work with landowners to develop preliminary plans to repair and enhance ravine conditions.