NEW LONDON
— One year from now, golfers relaxing in the main clubhouse at the
Tepetonka Club golf course
will look over a postcard scene of rolling hills with a meandering stream, its waters flowing between banks sporting colorful, native forbs and grasses.
What they won’t see — just below their vantage point — is the work that it took to restore a portion of that stream’s bank to its natural beauty.
The work restores the beauty of the natural stream bank while protecting the quality of the water Shakopee Creek carries to the Chippewa River and, ultimately, the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers.
A portion of the stream bank along what will be the 18th green of the destination golf course was highly eroded.
“It was literally concave,” said Mark Haugejorde, of Tepetonka Club, as he stood over the newly restored stream bank in early May.
This portion of the riverbank was undercut by flows in the creek. Rushing waters occurring during high-flow periods, usually following spring melt or large rain events, carried away soils and caused sloughing and undercutting. The top of the bank was ready to start falling, Hagerjorde said.
He was joined at the site by members of the golf course team and neighboring landowner Dan Rupp. The landowner is among those along Shakopee Creek who have expressed interest in working with the Kandiyohi Soil and Water Conservation District on addressing erosion issues along Shakopee Creek in its headwaters region.
A Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council grant will help fund much of the work upstream and downstream of the golf course. Tepetonka Club took on the restoration on its property on its own dime.
The work done there supports the goals of the Kandiyohi Soil and Water Conservation District’s ambitious project: Along with preventing erosion, the work that Tepetonka has done enhances and protects the natural habitat to maintain Shakopee Creek as a wildlife corridor.
To stop the riverbank erosion, workers with Duininck Construction took rooted portions of cedar trees harvested from the golf course property and implanted them to stabilize the bottom portion of the bank. They inserted cedar logs without root balls into the bank to firm it up, and strategically placed boulders along the water’s course to divert the fire hose-like flows occurring after rain events from cutting into the bank.
With the bank re-established, they planted native vegetation on the bank. The plants’ roots will hold the soil, and the above-ground greenery will provide habitat for pollinators and wildlife.
Along with the construction, the engineering and permitting for the project were all undertaken by Tepetonka Club. The golf course ownership has committed itself to permanently protecting the stream bank corridor in its natural condition, according to Haugerjorde.
“We needed to do this for the golf course,” he said.
He explained that the beauty of the natural setting at the location is very important to the golf course. The timing was right to take on the work, as development of the course got underway last year with expectations of completion this year.
The stream bank restoration exemplifies the landscaping approach being taken throughout the destination golf course of more than 200 acres.
“It is really fun to come to see it come to life, so to speak,” said Chris Strange, director of grounds for the course.
The emphasis is on preserving as many acres of native vegetation as possible to take advantage of the beauty at this location, according to Strange. Fertilizer use and operations on the grounds will focus on preventing runoff and protecting the natural environment.
“Being environmentally conscious and being good stewards of the land is a priority for us,” said Strange.
Haugerjorde is confident that golfers will appreciate Teptetonka for many reasons, but especially for the beauty of its setting and the play its course offers.
“Golfers will find one of the best golf course experiences in the world,” he said.
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