The Shoreline Improvement Project
This project (also called the Love Your Lake Program) was designed to engage individual cottagers or residents and lake associations, by providing information on how to protect their shorelines and improve the water quality in their lakes. It involves people like you taking steps to develop at least a 10-foot ribbon of natural vegetation along the shoreline in order to mitigate runoff and pollution issues and to provide a natural habitat for small creatures that prefer to live near the lake.
This is an ambitious project which has surveyed the following lakes:
2014: Redstone, Little Redstone, Bitter, Pelaw, Burdock, Drag, Spruce, Kashagawigamog, Grass, Boshkung and Koshlong.
2015: Kushog, Big Hawk, LIttle Hawk and Kawagama Lakes.
2016: Gull, Haliburton, Harcourt Park, Kennessis, Little Glamor, Livingstone, Loon, Miskwabi, Mountain, Otter, Paudash, Percy, Raven, South, Twelve Mile and Little Boshkung Lakes.
The individual results of this exercise have been made available confidentially to each property owner on these lakes. Participating property owners see what shoreline suggestions have been made for their properties and how to improve their shorelines.
The role of the CHA is to co-ordinate and oversee this project as well as provide information on the importance of natural shorelines and ideas on how you can improve your shore. To that end, a set of films and documents have been prepared (see below). Please check them out at the links below.
The Love Your Lake Program was developed by the Centre for Sustainable Watersheds. It is supported by its national partner the Canadian Wildlife Federation and is intended to be delivered by existing environmental organizations in regions across Canada.
For more, in-depth information on shoreline health, please have a look at our Resources Section.
Short Films from the Lake Protector Series
Ribbon of Life
Featuring Professor Barb Elliot, as she talks about the basic zones (riparian and littoral) of a good shoreline as well as their composition, structure and function.
Beginner's Guide to Shoreline Stewardship
Also presented by Professor Barb Elliot. Here she clearly explains the importance of a natural shoreline, its best characteristics and a step by step guide to restoring your shoreline to protect the health of your lake.