Ecology company completes extensive restoration near Lake Michigan  

[JAN. 13, 2007]  BRODHEAD, Wis. -- Applied Ecological Services recently completed an extensive project in the Fort Sheridan neighborhood in Highland Park, near the Lake Michigan coastline. The company was called upon for the restoration project because of the extreme degradation of the ravines that separate property lines and empty into Lake Michigan. Severe down-cutting (extreme erosion due to increased water volume) of the channel floor caused major bank destabilization along the walls of the ravine.

The Applied Ecological Services design-build team was called upon to correct the problems within the ravine. The company raised the channel floor with clay to re-establish the flood plain, armored the channel with rock and used grade-control structures for the elevation drops along the ravine walls. Gabion baskets (rectangular mesh baskets filled with stone) with crib walls were used to repair the severe wall erosion, and geogrids (polymer-coated fibers used to reinforce earth-fill slope) were also used on the slopes to re-establish the ravine walls. Finally, chevron drains (a drainage tool allowing water to re-enter the soil without runoff) were implemented to relieve slopes with excess moisture and hidden drainage issues.

Fort Sheridan is a unique neighborhood in that it was originally a military base. It only recently became a residential neighborhood, and that transition had to be made carefully. Some of the buildings required demolition in order to create more open space, and with that, many materials needed to be disposed of.

The restoration company was able to recycle approximately 700 tons of rock from the foundations of demolished buildings by breaking it down and using it to armor the channel that was being restored. Additionally, the company was able to recycle approximately 2,000 feet of telephone poles by using them to help stabilize the ravine walls.

The project began in 2002 and was finished at the end of November 2006. Although the restoration is complete, Applied Ecological Services will begin a five-year maintenance program starting in the spring of 2007 to ensure the success of the project. The restoration was a monumental success, and because of it, the integrity of the ravine area has been fully restored. Additionally, the amount of sediment entering Lake Michigan through the ravine will be considerably reduced.

Throughout the project, only native plant species were used. They were supplied by the company's affiliated nursery, Taylor Creek Restoration Nursery.

Applied Ecological Services is a broad-based ecological consulting, contracting and restoration firm providing services to foundations, governmental units, corporations and commercial-residential developers nationwide. Applied Ecological Services has been the principal ecological consulting firm in many diverse, large-scale restoration and site remediation projects, including creative developments and beneficial reuse projects that have drawn national acclaim.

Established in 1978, the company has a total staff of over 100 full-time employees, with consulting offices in West Dundee, Ill.; Brodhead, Wis.; Prior Lake, Minn.; Eudora, Kan.; Conshohocken, Pa.; and Jackson, N.J. Applied Ecological Services owns and operates Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries, Spring Lake Restoration Nurseries and Kaw River Restoration Nurseries. Together, they are among the largest native prairie nurseries in the Midwest.

[News release from Applied Ecological Services]