By Louie Stout
The Diamond Lake Association’s project to protect shorelines and improve fish habitat is moving forward and anglers should see results this summer.
Michiana Outdoors News announced the project in December of 2023 but it was delayed while waiting on DNR funding. The association got approval this summer and began some of the work in the fall.
Thanks to a $40,000 grant from the Michigan DNR, the association has already begun planting brush piles in part of the lake and plans to resume efforts this spring.
Shoreline stability has been a big issue for the lake residents as a result of excessive boat wake action. The three-pronged approach calls for stabilizing the shoreline along “Fireworks Island,” adding protection to the bank adjacent to the west side of the DNR boat ramp, and planting approximately 20 fish habitat sites in deeper water.
“We want to be good stewards of the lake,” said project chairman John Poracky. The fish population is a metric we are trying to protect.”
The association also is discouraging residents from adding seawalls to their shores and promoting the use of more natural shoreline habitat. When big waves crash against seawalls, they reverberate back toward the lake and create erosion.
“Fireworks Island,” a small parcel located west of the DNR public access and near the west shoreline, has been a major concern. It’s where the association sets up its fireworks for July 4th and other holidays and adjacent to what they call “the sandbar.”
Erosion is tearing away at the island just south of Park Shore Marina, so plans call for large logs and trees to be placed along the east shore to soften the blow from waves.
Some 30 or more large trees will be crisscrossed along the shoreline extending out into the water and staked to the island sideways. The logs will be above and below the water, extending out about 30 or more feet.
In addition, the association plans to stabilize the shoreline between the boat ramp and the private property to the west. Gravel, logs and native plants are scheduled to go in sometime this spring or early summer.
Furthermore, several “cribs,” consisting of large tree sections anchored to the bottom, have been dropped into 20-25 feet of water between the boat ferry cable and south toward Eagle Point. More may go in before boat traffic picks up this summer.