WELCOME

Keith Knauer, a former member of the Ponds Committee and Chair of the Health & Beautification Sub-Committee, lives on and owns a pond in the Woodlands Park neighborhood. During the construction of his house, the natural vegetation on the pond bank in front of his house was removed. This led to a serious erosion problem. The pond bank was rapidly eroding into the pond, leaving an unsightly barren shoreline.

            During his work with the Ponds Committee, Keith learned of an erosion control technique using coconut logs.   Coconut logs are a completely biodegradable erosion control option for hills, banks, shorelines, and other erosion prone areas. Easy to place, use, and install, these logs create a natural control area that helps establish plant growth and control erosion.  He hired an outside pond management company to install the logs on his pond and to install flowering aquatic plant plugs directly into the log surface. 

            Then, in keeping with pond management guidelines from NC State, Keith allowed for the growth of plants that are natural to our area. They were installed at the water’s edge (littoral), behind the logs (emergent) and up the pond embankment (riparian). These guidelines were established in order to provide for the natural removal of unwanted chemicals from water runoff into the ponds, to stabilize the pond back from erosion, improve the aesthetic appeal of the pond bank, and to provide for a natural habitat for wildlife in the water and the land.

            The results were immediate and dramatic. The erosion problem was eliminated completely, and the plants thrived and spread. As shown in the before and after pictures, the aesthetic appeal of the pond bank improved considerably. There was an increase of wildlife sightings and a significant increase in dragonfly and butterfly population on the pond was also observed.