DISTRICT OF LAKELAND NO. 521

Serving Emma, Christopher, Anglin & McPhee Lakes, and a portion of the Boreal Forest Region.

Environmental Advisory Committee

About the EAC

Current EAC Projects

About our Lakes

EAC Related Resources

Community Initiatives

  • Christopher Lake School

The Natural Edge Program

Background: the Love Your Lakes Project

During the summer of 2016, the District of Lakeland #521 and its Environmental Advisory Committee partnered with the North Saskatchewan River Basin Council (NSRBC) to deliver the Love Your Lake program on Anglin, Christopher and Emma Lakes. 791 properties were assessed totalling about 58km of shoreline on Emma Lake. The shoreline survey involved an assessment of the entire shoreline of Emma Lake.

The Love Your Lake program was developed by Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation and is a shoreline evaluation and stewardship program to help lake communities across Canada protect and restore shorelines for healthier lakes. Students employed by NSRBC and trained in shoreline assessment travelled around the lakes viewing the properties and shorelines. Members of the Environmental Advisory volunteered their time and supplied boats and fuel to do the assessments. The assessments of the shoreline involved taking photos and recording observations of; a shoreline classification, notation on any structural development, terrestrial and aquatic habitat, presence of vegetation or areas where it has been removed or inhibited and type and degree of any erosion.

All the information gathered on individual property assessments was protected and only shared with those property owners who applied for their assessments. The recommendations found in each of the personalized property report contain helpful tips on actions you can take to improve the health of your shoreline.

A natural and healthy shoreline provides habitat for fish and wildlife, it supports the soil and reduces or stops erosion and it acts as a filter for potential pollutants entering the lake.

The Current Project

The Natural Edge Program is an option for lakefront property owners who want to follow up on the Love Your Lake survey. Lake health is affected by numerous sources, whether it’s pollution, aquatic invasive species or shoreline development. While developing a shoreline isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there are ways to help maintain the integrity and health of shores. The shoreline is a buffer zone of vegetation acting as a natural filter and reinforcement to prevent things like erosion, nutrient loading or eutrophication. It also provides habitat for native species part of the local ecosystem, promoting diversity.

 

Project Updates

Shoreline At Work – The Natural Edge Program

The Shorelines at Work Demonstration Site is part of the project “Emma Lake Action & Understanding”. The 3,600 ft2 site is located at Emma Lake, north of McIntosh Point along Agnes St. The site is open to the public and embraces natural shorelines while serving as public access for snowmobiling and dock access. Its goal is to promote the benefits of native vegetation along shorelines and to inspire others to plant more native species on their properties. Prior to planting, the site had significant erosion and monoculture grass.

Shoring up our Shorelines – Jacquie Moore

Article originally printed in Vacationland News July 3rd 2019 Issue. As Janet and Grant Gibson locked up their McPhail Cove cabin last Fall, they knew when they next saw it, things were going to look drastically different. They had lost seven of their huge, old spruce...