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    Preserving and Restoring Natural Shorelines

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    Jules Winnfield
    Natural shoreline vegetation plays an important role in maintaining water quality and wildlife habitat. It prevents erosion, filters runoff, provides food and shelter, and keeps water cool. However, much of Ontario's natural shorelines have been cleared and replaced with manicured lawns and non-native plants. This damages the environment. The document provides information on restoring shorelines and resources for help, emphasizing the importance of using native plants and preserving natural shoreline habitats.

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    Preserving and Restoring Natural Shorelines

    Uploaded by

    Jules Winnfield
    64 views4 pages
    Natural shoreline vegetation plays an important role in maintaining water quality and wildlife habitat. It prevents erosion, filters runoff, provides food and shelter, and keeps water cool. However, much of Ontario's natural shorelines have been cleared and replaced with manicured lawns and non-native plants. This damages the environment. The document provides information on restoring shorelines and resources for help, emphasizing the importance of using native plants and preserving natural shoreline habitats.

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    Natural shoreline vegetation plays an important role in maintaining water quality and wildlife habitat. It prevents erosion, filters runoff, provides food and shelter, and keeps water cool. However, much of Ontario's natural shorelines have been cleared and replaced with manicured lawns and non-native plants. This damages the environment. The document provides information on restoring shorelines and resources for help, emphasizing the importance of using native plants and preserving natural shoreline habitats.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    64 views4 pages

    Preserving and Restoring Natural Shorelines

    Uploaded by

    Jules Winnfield
    Natural shoreline vegetation plays an important role in maintaining water quality and wildlife habitat. It prevents erosion, filters runoff, provides food and shelter, and keeps water cool. However, much of Ontario's natural shorelines have been cleared and replaced with manicured lawns and non-native plants. This damages the environment. The document provides information on restoring shorelines and resources for help, emphasizing the importance of using native plants and preserving natural shoreline habitats.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 4

    PRESERVING AND RESTORING NATURAL SHORELINES

    Natural vegetation along the shoreline of lakes and rivers plays a crucial role in protecting water quality, preventing soil erosion and preserving the ecological balance of aquatic environments. However, much of the natural vegetation around Ontario lakes and rivers has been cleared or replaced with non-native species, resulting in the loss of wildlife habitat and reduced water quality. This fact sheet provides information on the importance of shoreline vegetation and where you can get help to restore your shoreline and others in your community.

    Shoreline vegetation plays an important role in maintaining the quality of water in our lakes and rivers.

    THE RIBBON OF LIFE


    Ninety per cent of all lake life is born, raised and fed in the area where land and water meet. The shallow water and the first 10 to 15 metres of shoreland forms a ribbon of life around lakes and rivers that is essential to the survival of many species. This rich and complex habitat supports plants, micro-organisms, insects, amphibians, birds, mammals and fish. Unaware of the importance of shoreline vegetation, many landowners clear their shorelines and transform them into urban landscapes. They destroy the cattails, bulrushes and other native species, and replace them with lawns and non-native species. They also build retaining walls, docks and boathouses. These changes destroy the balance of the aquatic and shoreline ecosystems. They also alter the wildlife habitat, natural beauty and character of our lakes and rivers. Natural shoreline vegetation plays an important role in preventing soil erosion. Plant roots anchor the soil, preventing shoreland from being washed away by currents, waves and rain. The roots of mature trees reach down to the upper levels of the water table. Dogwood and meadowsweet roots form a web that extends a half-metre downward, these native species are far more effective in protecting properties from erosion than the roots of grasses, which only reach eight centimetres below the surface. By preventing erosion and runoff, natural shoreline vegetation also improves water quality. When soil and excess nutrients are washed into the water, fish spawning beds can be destroyed, dissolved oxygen is depleted and the growth of algae and aquatic plants is encouraged. Shoreline vegetation also improves water quality by shading and cooling shallow water. All of these changes in water quality can lead to rapid eutrophication the aging of a lake. Eutrophication of a lake ultimately changes the kinds and numbers of species that can live there.

    SHORELANDS ARE PROTECTED BY LAW


    Conservation Authorities, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Parks Canada have laws and regulations governing docks, boathouses and other shoreline structures.

    NATURAL SHORELINE NO SHORELINE VEGETATION VEGETATION does not provide shelter and provides shelter and food food for wildlife for wildlife degrades spawning beds for fish supports spawning beds for fish decreases water quality enhances water quality increases runoff and excess traps runoff and excess nutrients nutrients shades and cools water warms water discourages growth of algae encourages growth of algae and aquatic plants and aquatic plants

    NATURAL SHORELINES

    The riparian zone is the land closest to the shore. Vegetation in the riparian zone prevents soil erosion, reduces runoff, shades and cools shallow water, and provides food and shelter The shoreline is the place for wildlife. where land and water meet. This area is a bridge for the many species that depend on both land and water.

    The littoral zone extends from dry land to the depth at which sunlight no longer penetrates to the bottom of the water. Most aquatic species feed, spawn and nurture their young in the littoral zone.

    PRESERVING AND RESTORING NATURAL SHORELINES

    Many municipalities are also taking steps to protect shorelines through their official plans and zoning bylaws, which limit the type and location of shoreline structures. Failure to comply with these laws can be expensive for landowners and developers, who may face fines and be required to return areas to their natural states if they make changes to shorelines without permits. Under the Canada Fisheries Act, it is illegal to alter or destroy fish habitat. Violations could lead to fines of up to $1 million or three years imprisonment, as well as court orders to return areas to their natural states.

    WHAT CAN BE DONE TO RESTORE SHORELINES?


    Shoreline alterations can devastate aquatic life found in the littoral zone. Fortunately, the degradation of shorelines can be reversed. More cottagers and landowners are learning about the value of natural shorelines. They are leaving the lawnmower at home, planting native plants and restoring shorelines.

    How you protect or restore a shoreline depends on the conditions of the site and the energy and resources of the owner. There are four main strategies to choose from:
    1 PRESERVATION 3 ENHANCEMENT

    When purchasing a lakefront property, a natural shoreline is retained and access to the lake is designed to avoid shoreline damage.
    2 NATURALIZATION

    Native species are planted and non-native species are removed.


    4 RESTORATION

    Cleared areas are planted with native species.

    Degraded shorelines are left alone to return to their natural state.

    ALTERED SHORELINES

    n origi

    al sh

    oreli

    ne

    Retaining walls destroy littoral zones. Waves deflected off retaining walls stir up toxic sediments and destroy vegetation.

    The destruction of natural shorelines removes the protective travel corridor that many species rely on in their journeys between land and water.

    Planting lawns and nonnative species destroys wildlife habitat and contributes to soil erosion and reduction of water quality.

    PRESERVING AND RESTORING NATURAL SHORELINES

    WHERE TO GET HELP


    There are several sources of help for restoring shorelands in Ontario. In eastern Ontario, contact the Mutual Association for the Protection of Lake Environments in Ontario Inc. (MAPLE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of natural shorelines and wetland. MAPLE works with individuals, lake associations, environmental groups, businesses and government agencies that want to improve lake environments. In recent years, MAPLE has co-ordinated several shoreline restoration projects in eastern Ontario.
    MAPLE operates a nursery where it grows native Ontario plants for shoreline planting. MAPLE provides plants and technical assistance to local cottage associations. A MAPLE

    Other sources of assistance are: Your local lake association or the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association Inc. at (416) 284-2305 The Muskoka Heritage Foundation at (705) 645-7393 The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters at (705) 748-6329 Local conservation authorities For more information on the preservation and restoration of shorelines, ask for the following publications from MAPLE or your local office of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy or the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources: The Lure of the Lake, MAPLE Inc. MAPLE 10, An Immediate Start to Shoreland Restoration, MAPLE Inc. The Self Help Shoreland Classification Survey for Lake Associations in Ontario, MAPLE Inc. Protecting the Environment When Building or Buying Your Dream Cottage, Environmental Living, Volume 3, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy Protecting the Environment at the Cottage, Environmental Living, Volume 4, Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy Working Around Water, Fact sheets, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

    manual will soon be available. This manual will provide guidelines on classifying shorelines according to vegetation. Instruction on shoreline restoration, planting shoreline shrubs and sowing herbaceous plants will also be included. To get in touch with MAPLE, write to: Mutual Association for the Protection of Lake Environments in Ontario Inc. P.O. Box 271 Perth, Ontario K7H 3E4

    WHAT ARE NON-NATIVE OR ORNAMENTAL SPECIES? Native species are plants that grow naturally in a particular region. They are an important part of the ecology of an area. They feed and give shelter to wildlife. Non-native or ornamental plant species are plants that were introduced from other parts of the world. They alter the natural ecology of the area, and do not support the same wildlife communities as native species. For instance, many birds do not feed on fruit produced by non-native plants. The introduction of nonnative plants into areas can result in the loss of native vegetation. Native Species Virginia Creeper Red-osier Dogwood Native Willow Non-native Species Tatarian Honeysuckle European Buckthorn Purple Loosestrife

    NATIVE SPECIES Shrub willow Salix eriocephala

    Red osier dogwood Cornus stolonifera

    Virginia creeper Parthenocissus vitacea

    For more information contact: LandOwner Resource Centre P.O. Box 599, 5524 Dickinson Street Manotick, Ontario K4M 1A5 Tel 613 692 2390 or 1 800 387 5304 Fax 613 692 2806 Product Ordering: 1-888-571-INFO (4636) E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.lrconline.com

    Produced by: LandOwner Resource Centre With support from: the Mutual Association for the Protection of Lake Environments in Ontario

    ISSN 1198-3744 (5k R.P., 00 07 17) Order Number: LRC 78 Cette publication est galement disponible en franais.

    2000, Queens Printer for Ontario Printed in Ontario, Canada

    printed on recycled paper

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