A.J. & M.D. Ruggiero Memorial Trust Awards Grant for Auburn Lake and Willow Pond Restoration

Friends of Mount Auburn January 3, 2025 Landscape | Plants & Wildlife
Over the years, the Ruggiero Trust has awarded more than $1.6 million to the Friends of Mount Auburn for habitat restoration projects including Indian Ridge and Consecration Dell.
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The Friends of Mount Auburn is excited to announce that the A.J. & M.D. Ruggiero Trust has awarded a $90,400 grant for an assessment of Mount Auburn's main waterbodies and for the restoration of the emergent shelves of Auburn Lake and Willow Pond.

Since Mount Auburn's last expansive waterbodies assessment in 2017, several changes to our ponds have been observed, including increased erosion, arrival of invasive plant species such as Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea), and the increase in the power of storm events, all of which have negative impacts on the health of these water features. Mount Auburn has expanded its pond maintenance efforts to improve reaction time in addressing invasive plant species arrival and removal before widespread establishment can occur and, additionally, has implemented out-of-pond efforts to address sheetflow and erosion issues.  These efforts include installing a catch basin on Azalea Path and re-routing part of the path with switchbacks and new plantings to slow down storm water velocity, reduce erosion and prevent habitat destruction.  Although these efforts have helped, pond edge erosion has become an increasingly worrisome issue, particularly at Willow Pond where several important tree species are potentially at risk.

Auburn Lake in fall, photo by Richard Cheek

Thanks to funding from the A.J. & M.D. Ruggiero Trust, we will be able to reexamine the state of these environments and, as an initial step in increasing water quality and biodiversity at Willow Pond and Auburn Lake, restore the existing emergent shelves (i.e. the shallow area of a waterbody) with habitat-providing vegetation. The restoration of these shelves will provide the following outcomes:

  1. Improved Water Quality: By restoring the emergent shelves, we aim to reduce the amount of harmful nutrient-laden sediment entering the main water column of the ponds by allowing sedimentation to occur in the emergent zone and the increased presence of beneficial aquatic vegetation will trap additional harmful nutrients in their root systems. This will enhance the overall water quality in the ponds.
  2. Increased Habitat Diversity: The restored shelves will provide essential habitat for amphibians, reptiles, and birds, such as bullfrogs, painted turtles and great blue herons. Improvements to cover, nesting and hydration resources will be beneficial to all wildlife species that visit the ponds.  This will contribute to greater species diversity and supporting the long-term viability of these populations is essential to Mount Auburn’s mission.
  3. Enhanced Aesthetic and Educational Value: The restoration of these waterbodies will also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the Cemetery, making it a more inviting space for visitors and providing educational opportunities related to wildlife conservation.

As part of the project, the Friends of Mount Auburn will host two on-site programs about the restoration work featuring staff and consulting scientists—details to come!

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