HOW? Leave the natural vegetation along the shore - both in the water and on the land. Let Nature do the dirty work.
Plant natural vegetation next to the shoreline. Good plants include Red Osier Dogwood, Sweetgale, Virginia Creeper and Shrubby Willow.
- Do not cut the grass right to the water's edge. Allow a buffer zone of approximately 3-5 metres.
- Encourage your friends and neighbours to support shoreline "softening".
- Encourage cottagers to post "Watch Your Wake" signs.
- Slow surface erosion and begin to absorb harmful surface nutrients before they get into the body of water.
- Strengthen the shoreline and help prevent erosion from Wash and Wake.
- Preserve water quality and health of the environment.
- Supply important shading in the shallow areas and help moderate the temperature of the water. This is very
- important for sheltering fish and providing spawning areas.
Loons have very short legs, making it difficult to walk very far. Therefore, they must nest close to water. Since the nests are so close to the shore, they are often easily destroyed by Wake and Wash. The loon generally lays one or two eggs each year. With numbers this low, it is very important that they survive. You can help loons survive by practising boat safety and common sense. You can also help increase the survival rate of these birds by building floating loon nests. Why are we so concerned about loons? Loons are a good indicator of a healthy environment. If there are a large number of loons in an area, it means that the water is clean and that there is an abundance of fish.
Instructions on how to build a floating loon nest can be found by going to the How to Build a Loon's Nest page.
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