Pictured below is the restored stream bank on the Pine River at the John Kaske residence. The heavy rains at the end of June 2003 caused some streambank on the Pine River west of Rutledge to fall into the river. The eroded area was about 60 feet wide and was a drainage area where water seeped through the bank. This made the bank more susceptible to erosion. The bank was clay over sand so when the water washed away the more unstable sand, the clay went with it. The seep area helped the bank to continue to erode. The Pine SWCD used State Cost-Share Funds to cover 75% of the cost of the project. The Pokegama Lake Association also contributed $1,000 towards the project since they sell pull-tabs in the area. At the tow of the bank, 30 cubic yards of rock riprap were placed. On a seven foot wide area above the riprap, a cover crop was planted and erosion control fabric was installed. Through the erosion fabric, shrubs and native grass plugs were planted. Above that 25 cubic yards of rock were placed to help support the 310 cubic yards of fill used to construct the 2.5:1 slope. A cover crop and native seed mix was planted on the slope before the erosion control fabric was installed. Through the fabric, 75 shrubs and 72 native grass plants and 54 flower plugs were planted. The two to three foot long roots of these native shrubs, grasses and flowers will help stabilize the bank. The Pine SWCD encourages the use of native shrubs, grasses and flowers for stabilizing areas and for buffers to filter out nutrients and sediment. In order to prevent continued erosion, drain tile was installed to carry the draining water to the bottom of the hill.