Enthusiastic response to Buffer Bundle Campaign

Example of shoreline buffer plantings.

That was the belief that organizers of the China Lake Buffer Campaign had in mind when they came up with a plan to give bundles of native plants to shoreline property owners.

Six months in the making, the project was coming to completion in mid-June as the phosphorous-filtering plants were distributed to property owners for immediate planting. The campaign is the brainchild of Jen Jesperson, head of Ecological Instincts, an environmental consultant that has worked extensively with China Lake Association and other lake conservancy groups.

It was a resounding success, with more than 50 China Lake property owners quickly responding to the offer. “I’m amazed and pleased to see the response,” said Jen Syer, a CLA director who was one of the planners of the campaign. Syer called the campaign “a frictionless experience for landowners to help the lake.”

And help China Lake they will.

Native trees, shrubs, and ground-cover plants were carefully selected by Jespersen’s group for their buffering capability, and offered free to participants. Property owners also configured their selections to fit the landscape of their shorelines. Syer said a waiting list has been created for those who weren’t able to get the bundles this year.

If there was any doubt that people around the lake are committed to preserving and improving the water quality of China Lake, it was erased, she said. “Yes,” Syer said. “People care.” The China Lake Buffer Campaign is funded in part by a Section 319(h) Clean Water Act grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency, administered by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Other project support is provided by the Kennebec County Soil and Water Conservation District, China Lake Association, Kennebec Water District, and Kennebec Savings Bank, with technical support from Ecological Instincts.