Habitat, Green Infrastructure, Erosion Control & Native Landscape Design
DESIGNING NATIVE LANDSCAPES REQUIRES COLORFUL & ADAPTABLE PLANT LISTS & DESIGNERS
NCS intimately engages clients in a collaborative design process, featuring assessment, visual intent, reference systems, species targeting, color and fun! In the practice of design, nature itself is our guide. As ecologists, landscape architects, designers, and practitioners, we follow a science-first process that roots the design in the site-specific needs of the project, and those experts ensure beautiful execution. Quality native landscape design imperatively drives good installation & maintenance. An ecological designer is needed to specify plants to meet habitat & visual objectives. Dense beds with butterfly-hosting native plants on 12 inch centers to reduce weeding, eliminate mulch, and promote self healing, with high diversity, color, & blended textures that create adaptive, weed-resistant, low-maintenance Native Landscape Design imperatively drives good installation & maintenance. An ecological designer is needed to specify plants to meet habitat & visual objectives. Dense beds with butterfly-hosting native plants on 12 inch centers to reduce weeding, eliminate mulch, and promote self healing, with high diversity, color, & blended textures that create adaptive, weed-resistant native landscapes. Native plants are well-adapted to the local climate and soils as well as to the naturally occurring historic disturbance processes such as fire, flooding, and wind throw. Using native plants in place of alien ornamentals or lawn can bestow many benefits, both economical and ecological. Native plants that have evolved in a locale over thousands of years are uniquely suited to their habitat and that adaptation conveys many benefits.
Appropriately sited native plants use much less water than a lawn; typically no water at all is needed once the plants are established. Native plantings of any scale need less maintenance once well established, as compared to the yearly weeding of a mulched ornamental planting or the weekly mowing of a lawn. A third benefit is that native plants require no fertilizers or pesticides. All of these factors lead to a significant savings of time or money, while using fewer resources in the long run.
Experience: Building on over three decades of ecological restoration site assessment, design, implementation, and monitoring experience across southern Michigan, NCS has developed true expertise in design-build bioretention and shoreline habitat restoration projects in Southeast Michigan. Our team is uniquely qualified to design and oversee implementation of sustainable, high-quality - yet affordable – green infrastructure and habitat restoration projects. NCS is on green infrastructure technical advisory committees as experts in bioretention design-build for both Detroit Future City and the Greening of Detroit, on invasive species management advsiory panels for for various metro Detroit municipalities, and has been designing, constructing, and maintaining bioretention facilities since our inception. This broad Southeast Michigan experience on State ecological and GSI projects gives us confidence that our team and proposed approach will provide the greatest value.
Methodology: Our team has previously delivered restoration design and implementation services, as well as ecologically-grounded engineering solutions to non-profits, municipalities, and government agencies. We understand your mission and goals, and align our approach to match each project. During NCS’ past projects, we tailored our methodology to capitalize on each site’s unique constraints and opportunities, worked closely with organizational staff, and facilitated discussions with City staff, the public, and project partners. Our history with Detroit as an example, including Belle Isle and Miliken State Park design-build projects, will enable us to efficiently identify and resolve issues, evaluate alternatives, and provide sound recommendations.
Education: NCS exists to teach the world about Michigan ecosystems, water and forest resources, their plants and animals, and to design methods, plans and specifications for ecological restotation. At every level and on each project, our goal is to educate clients, aligned professionals, contractors, and the public about a project’s ecosystem services and environmental benefits of conservation, restoration, and biodiversity.
Innovation: Our integrated ecological-engineering team provides qualified specialists for your ecological design needs. Our team recognizes the value of an interdisciplinary approach, and each of our firms is recognized as a leader in developing innovative approaches and technologies to achieve our clients’ objectives. Our unique and user-friendly ideas generated thus far include:
• Environmental and ecological considerations in every design intent and basis of design
• A collaborative design process dually rooted in site functionality and LEED objectives
• Designing and implementing innovative and effective erosion control technologies
NORMANDY OAKS
• Recreational, sitting, and learning areas for all ages and abilities
• Landscape aesthetics, community gardens
• Multi-purpose Blue/Green Infrastructure stormwater systems
• Connected Greenway Trail Design and Implementation
• Native plants for wildlife food and shelter
• Using native groundcovers as living mulches
• Shoreline and slope bioengineering and cutting edge erosion control technologies
• Specifying innovative nursery & rolled erosion products
• Permaculture, Farm plans, Native fruits, Pollinator-friendly landscapes
• Optimized materials and methods selection to produce an effective and efficient green stormwater project
• Designers with GIS, CAD, specification writing, and value-engineering knowledge, skills, and abilities
• Aquatic, wetland and upland habitats
• Conservation designs with invasive species and weed management plans
• Environmental interpretation - including signage, training materials, graphics, wifi interactive media, other educational products
• Drone, remote sensing and RTK GPS technology for landscape and ecological survey, design and monitoring support
NCS promotes native plants in our green infrastucure and ecosystem restoration projects. We believe in educating our clients by providing portfolio pictures, biodiversity, beauty, and rhizomatous soil tensile and water absorption capacities of naturescapes, and the best native designs possible so they can make the most balanced decisions for a native green stormwater landscape. NCS believes in tactical, volumetric and overflow refinement and attractive design for cost-effective solutions that benefit the environment while maximizing beauty! NCS has CAD, GIS, and Sketchup capacity, and we're passionate about ecological design in landscape architecture.
Let us help you connect habitat, form and function on your site. We:
· work with all kinds of clients, from homeowners and commercial clients, to large institutions, and public entities
· offer an extensive suite of design and consultation services, ranging from master planning to detailed construction document sets
· have a lot of practical experience with the planning, installation, and maintenance of ecological design and restoration projects
· design animal habitats to have water, food, shelter, and cover/structure to raise young
CONTACT US today to receieve our Statement of Qualifications (SOQ), & WINTER DISCOUNTS! https://www.naturalcommunityservices.com/take-action/
WINTER DISCOUNT PROGRAM
NCS offers 20% off Design, Invasive brush control, volume & winter site assessment, grants, forestry consulting, live staking/bioengineering, native seed sowing, Phragmites brush-hogging, woody invasive species control & related work done in winter! CONTACT US now - info@naturalcommunityservices.com or 248-513-1909
