The East Branch of the Ausable River in Jay has a new bank. But it still needs to be dressed.
Twigs hardly a foot high stick out of bare dirt, cobble and coconut fabric spread across wide sections. While the sticks look dead, fresh growth has sprouted from their base and narrow willow leaves unfurl toward the sun.
In May, volunteers with the Ausable River Association (AsRA), which restructured the river and its banks at the site in 2021, pounded more of the willow twigs into rocky ground and surrounded them with fresh mulch. The program is part of a trend to repopulate areas with native plants—if planters can find the plants.
At the Ausable, other natives set for planting included red osier and silky dogwoods, witch hazel and a handful of white spruce.
Each time the river overflows its channel, fallen branches, dead plants, sediment and rocks wash onto the embankment. The material will gradually break down and build up a soil base. And the coconut fabric and other handiwork of
