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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 trees in last year’s windstorm, and after paying to have the stumps removed, their yard had been left bare. “It looked quite unsightly,” says Grant. In August, the Gibsons consulted with the North Saskatchewan River Basin Council (NSRBC) to be participants in their Natural Edge program, and were soon visited by two of the program staff. The staff assessed the site and soil conditions, then drew up a design and planting plan, and the Gibsons approved it. “It seemed like such a marvellous opportunity, because we are not gardeners, and we don’t live here permanently,” says Grant, “and we liked the fact that they were going to make use of the natural environment … we had a lot of open space when the trees went down.”

“Two of the program people came back and did the planting after the Labour Day weekend,” says Janet. “We had closed up for the season, for the winter, because we only come up in the spring and summer.” Given that the brand new plants were unattended for a full nine months, the Gibsons weren’t sure what shape they would be in by the time they returned. “We were certainly concerned because it’s been so dry,” says Janet. “I thought how are these poor little plants going to survive with no water! But I thought, well if they can’t survive when it’s dry, they’re not the right plants for this environment … and my goodness, they did!” The Gibsons arrived in early June of this year, and for the first time saw their new yard. “We were really pleased, really pleased,” says Janet. “Thrilled! It looks as though we hired a fancy landscaper gardener,” she laughs.

Five different sections around the yard – in the front, back and sides – now have a variety of attractive perennials, shrubs, and trees (including tree guards), amidst a ground cover of red mulch. The Natural Edge program is the follow-up to the Shoreline Property Reports which were conducted by the NSRBC in 2016 and sent out to lakefront ratepayers at Emma, Christopher, and Anglin lakes. Those reports assessed each individual property – shoreline, beach, soil erosion, drainage – providing information and advice to make them healthier. Both of these programs are part of a national initiative by Watersheds Canada to revitalize lakes.

In general, the idea is to filter any runoff water before it enters the lake, to prevent soils from washing away, and to provide food and protection for wildlife (aquatic and terrestrial). From the Watersheds Canada website: Natural buffers of shrubs and trees can help filter water, reducing excess nutrients and particles from entering the lake. Excess nutrients can contribute to unwanted growth of aquatic vegetation or algae. Particles and eroding soils can reduce water clarity; and, over time, the settling particles can increase the rate of sedimentation, causing the lake to become shallower and changing the overall lake environment. Of course, healthy shrubs and trees, with various heights, leaves, berries, fruits, and flowers, provide essential sources of food and shelter for so many species of wildlife.

Thanks to funding by several organizations and branches of government, including the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, waterfront property owners are invited to participate in the Natural Edge program at only 25% of the total cost to naturalize their shorelines. Blossom Branger is the Special Projects Manager for the NSRBC, and was the designer/planter for the Gibsons. She said it took a day for her and her colleague to do all the planting at Janet and Grant’s cottage. “We reintroduced natural species that would grow in that area,” she explains, “plus introduced some species that would do well in those conditions. We try to cover as much area as we can, in order to hold the soil together.” To that end, they put in 19 Saskatoon bushes, 10 prickly rose, 10 blue fescue, 5 common juniper, 9 red-osier dogwood, and 5 black spruce.

The tab for everything came to $2153.00. The Gibsons paid $500.75. “You can’t even get all those plants for five hundred dollars, let alone the labour and the design and the mulch,” marvels Janet. “We’re really excited, it’s wonderful!” This year, says Blossom, the NSRBC will be planting at least four more property sites at Emma Lake, and one demonstration site. For more information on the Natural Edge program, email Blossom at blossom@nsrbc.ca.

Jacquie Moore is a Carwin Park resident, and is on the Environmental Advisory Committee for the Lakeland District.

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Nutrient loads, as evidenced by excess plankton growth, have become increasingly evident at Emma Lake over the past several summers.

Increased nutrients are tied to a variety of sources including: lawn and garden fertilizers; septic tank seepage; and increased storm water and inorganic nutrient runoff. These added nutrients stimulate the growth of algae and reduce water clarity. When algae dies, it settles to the bottom and decomposes. This decomposition, in turn, consumes oxygen which is detrimental to fish and the birds and mammals (including humans) that feed upon them.
In 2018, the District of Lakeland through the Environmental Advisory Committee initiated a research program with the Natural Resources Program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic to look at this issue. The study looked at two key factors in 2018 and will continue to gather data in 2019 :
1. Water transparency—a measure of how deep light can penetrate water. This measure is negatively affected by the amount of algae and particulates suspended in the water.
2. Basic attributes of water quality such as water temperature and dissolved oxygen.

Figure 1 below shows the water transparency results of the 2018 survey. Maximum transparency was measured in the 2nd week of June, minimum transparency was in August, and the south and middle lakes were more transparent than the north lake. Figure 2 displays a pattern of diminishing oxygen and water temperature with depth. This pattern is normal in the summer but difficulties arise when oxygen drops below 3 mg/L as might occasionally happen after an algal bloom.

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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.

EAC will be looking at repeating this program in the future.

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Please watch a video about the clean, drain, and dry method to stop the transfer of aquatic invasive species.

Background

Co-ordinated by the Government of Saskatchewan’s Fish, Wildlife and Lands Branch, the Adult Invasive Mussel Monitoring (AIMM) Program is a partnership project with other non-government organizations (NGOs) and agencies to monitor waterbodies throughout Saskatchewan for aquatic invasive species (AIS) and adult invasive mussels.

Monitoring adult invasive mussels (e.g. zebra and quagga mussels) and other AIS is an important element of early detection in Saskatchewan. This protocol was developed by combining materials from Wisconsin, California, Alberta and British Columbia, with the goal of having a pragmatic, cost-effective monitoring program that provides a valuable tool for widespread early detection of AIS in waterbodies throughout Saskatchewan.

The objective is to establish partnerships with community organizations, including local stewardship, administrative, community and business groups, to provide valuable local involvement, information and data in a coordinated and collaborative manner.

Zebra and quagga mussels are a type of AIS that are threatening the livelihood of Saskatchewan waters. These mussels have been transported by freight boats and other watercraft from the ocean into freshwater.

Zebra and quagga mussels have adapted to the North American environment and started to migrate and thrive, reproducing at a rapid rate. One adult mussel can produce up to one million veligers (baby mussels) which are hard to detect, as they are small and invisible to the naked eye. Veligers are small enough to infiltrate water treatment systems, fire protection systems, dams and water movement pipes causing serious problems as they grow into adult mussels. They can grow on top of each other which can lead to blocked pipes. In North America, 34 states and three provinces have been contaminated with these types of mussels, including Montana, North Dakota and Manitoba.

(Source: Saskatchewan Adult Invasive Mussel Monitoring Guide)

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