Restoration of the Pearson Meadow Wetland
The story of this vital Loon Lake wetland goes back many years to the days when the Just family operated a large dairy farm on the property. At that time the wetland was channeled to allow water to move rapidly to the lake and hay to be harvested on the lowlands. As the dairy business declined, all 400 acres of the property were eventually purchased by a group of Spokane developers known as Loon Lake Forest Estates. This group had plans to establish a marina on the shoreline and a large number of home sites – up to forty – on the upland. It was this group, after a long and unsuccessful court battle, who sold the property to what later became the Loon Lake Land Conservancy.
In the year 2002 at the founding of the Conservancy, the Board was happily congratulating itself that this vital wetland had been SAVED. Department of Ecology Wetland Biologist, Chris Merker, who had been so helpful to the Conservancy in this battle, took away some of the celebration when he informed the Board that it had “…a badly destroyed non-functional wetland.” However, Chris had a plan. He assisted the Conservancy in developing a grant application for the Department of Ecology David Hussman Restoration Grant. At the last minute it was found that the grant could not be awarded to the Conservancy because it did not have taxing authority, but the Loon Lake Sewer District agreed to manage the grant and it was awarded. Work began!
The primary destroyer of the wetland’s functioning was the channel that had been cut through the meadow to move springtime waters out into the lake. This was the wrong thing to do in a wetland where water needed to be held to replenish the aquifer and ensure water in the summer for springs that feed the lake.
This channel emptied into the lake at the shoreline where it created a large delta of muck over the years. The channel needed to be disrupted into a more meandering mode, and the exit into the lake blocked by an earthen and debris dam. This work was accomplished using heavy equipment, bulldozers and backhoes, operated by Conservancy volunteers. Much digging and hauling resulted in several large berms and four ponds, one on the shoreline and three on the other side of the county road. Now, spring runoff is retained to replenish the aquifer. The following photos tell the story.
1) A channel was cut through the center of the wetland for farming
2) Water ran under the county road into the lake
3) A large delta of muck was created
4) Earlier dredging created these results
5) Critical levels for the bottom of the pond were established
6) Volunteers used heavy equipment to shape the shoreline
7) Water was diverted into the new pond
8) A spillway directed overflow water into the lake
9) The restoration created a series of ponds
10) Additional ponds were created on the other side of the county road
11) Small dams were created in the channel to divert water to these ponds
12) The ponds began to fill and hold water
13) The DOE David Hussman Grant covered $5,100 for 375 plants of 15 different species
14) Volunteers used a hole auger to plant trees and shrubs
15) A log boom was anchored just off shore to protect new plantings
16) The shoreline is restored to its native state and now supports bird and animal species
