North Beach Planting Project

Our North Beach Planting project on April 29th made the front page of the St. Albans Messenger!

Left to right, Caleb Garala, Rob Cormier and Sheryl Garala preparing Lake Carmi’s shoreline, near the northern boat access, for planting. Photo courtesy of the Franklin Watershed Committee.

Planting for Lake Carmi Watershed group takes steps to reduce runoff
By Tom Benton
​Staff Writer
FRANKLIN — Volunteers helped the Franklin Watershed Committee complete its first physical project of 2017 on Saturday.
The nearly dozen laborers planted multiple varieties of native vegetation on Lake Carmi’s shoreline, near the northern boat access, in an effort to reduce erosion and runoff and to beautify the area.
That included the use of nearly 1,000 pounds of topsoil.
Planted vegetation includes 16 red osier dogwoods, six button bush, six winterberry shrubs, four cedar trees and four speckled alder trees.
The planting took a total of four hours, cut between a morning and an afternoon shift.
“This will help stabilize the bank, which is now eroding in three or four places,” Franklin Watershed Committee president John Barrows said.
He said the planting will also help control Lake Road’s erosion and “help take out some of the regular fluids” flowing from the pavement into the lake. The vegetation absorbs fluids and slows their rate of travel.