Stabilize Your Streambank with Live Stakes!
Do you live near a stream? Lucky you! What a great asset!
Every stream has a stream bank that is a buffer between the land and water (we call that a riparian zone). If that area isn't stabilized, it can lead to erosion and possible flooding.
A natural stream has plants, shrubs and trees along its banks with root systems to stabilize the soil and provide habitat for all the land and aquatic critters who use that area for their home. A stream in your backyard should function the same, but many don't have the proper stabilization necessary to prevent erosion, flooding and provide habitat.
In Spring 2025, the NEO PIPE workgroup hosted several Live Stake Workshops to demonstrate this one way to stabilize a stream bank. Participants received over 2,700 live stakes to take home and install on their stream banks.
What is a live stake? Great question!
Live stakes are dormant, live woody cuttings of a native species with the branches trimmed off. Live staking performs an important function in creating a root mat that stabilizes the soil by reinforcing and binding soil particles together. When they go in, it looks like sticks on a streambank, but in a short time, they grow up and in addition to providing stabilization and habitat, they improve the aesthetics of your stream bank.
Read more about live stakes here!
Additional resources:
Funding for these workshops and live stakes was generously provided by:
