Watersheds Canada is thrilled to come back to Loughborough Lake with an action project! In the Love Your Lake report for Loughborough Lake, several recommendations were made for landowners to voluntarily restore their shorelines to more natural states to benefit the health of Loughborough Lake. Because of generous funding support for Love Your Lake follow-up projects from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Watersheds Canada is able to provide shoreline property owners on Loughborough Lake with an opportunity to have their shorelines professionally restored with native plants at only 25% of the cost to landowners.

The Natural Edge is a shoreline planting program developed by Watersheds Canada and made available to waterfront property owners in Eastern Ontario. This is your opportunity to restore your shoreline with native trees, shrubs, groundcovers, wildflowers, and grasses. Staff from Watersheds Canada will provide you with:

• A free site visit to discuss shoreline concerns, provide recommendations, and assess planting conditions;

• A personalized planting plan, including photos of selected planting areas and ideal plant species;

• The ordering, delivering, planting, and mulching of all plants;

• A free Stewardship Manual to ensure that the newly planted vegetation thrives in the first few years of establishment and growth; and,

• Follow-up and support with your new plants.

Shorelines are among the most important places on earth for wildlife - they are the ribbon of life. Throughout their lifetimes, over 90% of wildlife species use these land-water interfaces for food, shelter, breeding, and rearing areas. Healthy layers of vegetation including trees, shrubs, groundcover, grasses, flowers, and aquatic vegetation benefit wildlife, protect these shorelines from degrading, and support natural processes that are essential to a healthy lake and  a healthy watershed.

With the growth of new cottage developments, cottage-to-home conversions, and commercial and industrial developments along shorelines, these sensitive areas are threatened. With the loss of natural vegetation, several benefits to the lake are compromised, including water clarity and quality, safe swimming areas, and loss of wildlife habitat. With the help of stewardship programs such as these and with the support and participation of individuals like you, our community is coming together to protect and restore these sensitive areas for improved lake health and sustainability.

To participate in this, please contact Chloe Lajoie from Watersheds Canada, at  lajoie@watersheds.ca or 613-264-1244. Site visits begin as soon as the snow melts, and planting takes place in October when the leaves fall! If you have a shoreline with grass to the water's edge, significant erosion issues, or a small existing buffer, your property would be an ideal candidate for the Natural Edge! There are a limited number of properties available for naturalization projects, so be sure to get in touch soon!