LAUREL POND : A NATURE-BASED DAM

Inspired by the Longmeadow community’s love of the pond landscape, this design explores how to remove the constructed dam but preserve the landscape type that is familiar to park-goers and that already provides habitat for animals such as painted turtles and great blue herons.

hydro-ecologIcal changes

• Constructed beaver dam analogs (see sheet 26), both post-assisted (with more structural support and longevity) and without posts, allow the pond landscape to persist while facilitating more natural flow dynamics and sediment transport by the stream.

• The lawn is converted to meadow, increasing habitat and decreasing maintenance and runoff. A mown trail connects to the boardwalk.

• The wetland areas are able to expand due to periodic inundation and sediment deposition.

• Key areas around the parking lot and drive are revegetated to concentrate areas of human use.

The Human Element

• The southern half of the parking lot is converted into a picnic area with views over the pond.

• The parking lot is clearly demarcated and lined to decrease confusion as well as compaction and site disturbance.

• A vegetated buffer separates the parking and picnic areas and trees planted south of the picnic area increase the shade.

• A boardwalk connecting to an all-persons trail brings people through the many ecosystems of the landscape and encourages interaction.

Pros

• Maintains the pond landscape that people associate with this park and that already supports wildlife and plant species.

• Allows for natural stream flow while allowing some sediment to be deposited.

• Increases ecosystem diversity which encourages plant and wildlife diversity.

• Encourages human interaction with many different habitats.

• Reduces confusion about parking and reduces the potential size of the parking lot.

Cons

• High potential for dams to breach or change, meaning the flow patterns will frequently change and could pose a hazard to built structures like the boardwalk and bridge.

• Requires high maintenance inputs, specifically for the beaver dam analogs.

• Amount of boardwalk increases cost and requires ramps to connect stone dust surface to boardwalk surface to meet the all-persons trail requirements.

InstallatIon / maIntenance

all-personsloop

• Beaver dam analogs require high levels of maintenance either from beavers or humans.

• Converting much of the lawn to managed meadow decreases mowing maintenance.

• Installing the all-persons trail loop will require large construction inputs.