The Shore Primer, Ontario edition

YOUR SHORELINE:
A NATURAL WONDER

For many cottagers and other waterfront residents, the quiet spot by the lake is a little bit of paradise where we can relax, play, and enjoy being closer to nature. But it is a special place for another reason too. The zone where the water meets the land is the richest natural environment that most of us will ever come into contact with, and almost certainly the most complex piece of the earth that we will ever have the opportunity to live near and share. Equally important, the waterfront is crucial to your lake’s health, providing oxygen, food, cover and a barrier to contaminants, as well as a living retaining wall for the shoreline.

When a natural shoreline is altered, often by well-intentioned projects meant to improve waterfront living, the intricate balance between vegetation, aquatic organisms, and the shoreline is toppled. A typical scenario goes like this: After purchasing their new cottage lot, the new owners want to enjoy an unobstructed view of the water so they organize a weekend logging bee and clear out the thicket of plants, shrubs, and trees lining the shoreline. However, once the trees and shrubs are gone, the soil that their roots held in place begins to erode. Now the cottager family spends uneasy weekends watching their frontage erode into the lake. Worried about the erosion of their property and investment, they spend a great deal of money to build a breakwall. In a few years, the wall, undermined by the constant pounding of the waves, begins to list or crack. Again, the owners fund a new series of repairs. They do not understand that by retaining the shoreline vegetation, their shoreline would enjoy the benefits of natural erosion control. What began as a bid to have a view of the lake turns into a grudge match between the cottagers and the waterfront - and both sides are taking a beating.

Why not declare a truce and weave your cottage needs into the natural shoreline? This primer will show you how to protect and nurture the qualities that make it such a special location. It also offers cottagers and other landowners constructive solutions for restoring an altered shoreline to its former health and beauty. The Shore Primer is the second in a series of primers on waterfront stewardship published by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in association with Cottage Life. In combination with The Shore Primer, this series of primers can help you become a better caretaker of your own little piece of paradise.

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