MI KE MARE K

MARE K L ANDS CAPI NG, L L C

MILWAUKEE'S BEST PRACTICAL
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE LESSONS

CASE STUDIES:
JOHNSONS PARK soil amendments THREE BRIDGES PARK
JOHNSONS PARK
PROCESS
PLANS, CHOICES, TRAINING, LITERATURE
Meetings
Examples
Presentations
Post construction meetings, site visits, maintenance
JOHNSONS PARK
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PLANNING, EXECUTION, MAINTENANCE, FRUSTRATION!
JOHNSONS PARK
Planning, execution, maintenance, success!
LESSONS LEARNED
It looked different than what I had expected
I was left with no guidanceno advice on how to
maintain.
I wanted to see flowers. I only saw
grasses and weeds.
LESSONS LEARNED
Guidance: Availability for routine Consulting & Maintenance
during planning.
Offer very customized solutions based on homeowner
maintenance capacity and input (Bike, Chevy, or Cadillac).

Simplicity: Fewer Gardens, Less Variety of Plants, More Flowers,
More trees!
Quality Over Quantity: Use Rooted Plants (plugs) Instead of Seed, build
all costs and maintenance into budget and plan individual projects,
and aggregate projects accordingly. Budget carefully, especially
during grant writing.
Support: Keep design and construction expertise on call for 2 years for customer
support. Schedule site visits 3x per season. Maintain continuity of support.
SOIL AMENDMENTS
ACTIVATED COMPOST
On a per acre basis, every 1% of soil organic matter will
hold approximately 16,500 gallons (2206 cf) of water in the
top 12 inches of soil.
(Breedlove, 2006)
SOIL AMENDMENTS
SOIL PROPERTIES & THE SOIL FOOD WEB
SOIL AMENDMENTS
MILORGANITE
SOIL AMENDMENTS- COMPOST
Improves water holding
capacity
Reduces water consumption by
as much as 50%
Reduces nutrient leaching
Aides in the proliferation of
beneficial soil microorganisms
Reduces the need for fertilizers
and pesticides
SOIL AMENDMENTS
Adding a 1/2 of compost to a one acre field (35%
soil organic carbon)
23,822 gallons of water can be retained
A 1 rainstorm would be retained
894,831 Gallons per year (33 precip)
(texas instruments 2014)
Dont Believe the Hype!
Clay does infiltrate water 1 in 1.3 days (1-2 days).
SOIL AMENDMENTS
THREE BRIDGES PARK
photo by Adam Ryan Morris
2014 Menomonee Valley Partners
THREE BRIDGES PARK
THREE BRIDGES PARK
photo by Adam Ryan Morris
THREE BRIDGES PARK
BEFORE CONSTRUCTION
THREE BRIDGES PARK
CONSTRUCTION
THREE BRIDGES PARK
THREE BRIDGES PARK
LESSONS LEARNED
photo by Adam Ryan Morris
IS THIS COMPOST?

LESSONS LEARNED

If the DOT can change,
anyone can
Keep design/specs close at
hand (ask questions if you
dont understand)
Maintain connection with
design team through
maintenance
Trust, but verify Tell
someone when something is
wrong, dont just think it.
LESSONS LEARNED
Don't turn your back if
you are in charge
Do get pictures before
over-reacting
Don't leave a dog in
charge of your
children, no matter
how good the dog
Everyone learns if a
mistake is clearly
identified and
communicated
IT'S NOT SIMPLE BUT WHEN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER
IT WORKS
SUCCESS
Did you know that the Menomonee River has been named one
of the countries top fisheries by Field & Stream magazine?
If people are going to have a meaningful
relationship with nature, its going to be, for the
most part, in cities. That means its either the
end of meaningful nature, or the beginning of a
new kind of city.
Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods