Balancing Recreation and Nature
Shoreland alterations intended to “improve” recreational opportunities along the waterfront by removing natural features (vegetation, rocks, wood debris) and replacing them with sand or hardened shores are harmful to landowner’s properties, the lake, and lake ecosystems. These alterations can limit or eliminate the shoreland’s potential to function as a protective barrier against erosion and contaminants, and remove important habitat and food sources for the numerous species that depend on them. Careful considerations are therefore needed to balance human recreation with lake conservation. Fortunately, landowners can still reach their intended goals (such as creating better swimming and docking areas, and improving the view) in ways that benefit people, the lake, and the lake’s inhabitants through compromises that are easy and inexpensive.
Lawns
Lawns consisting of short, shallow-rooted grasses are ideal for outdoor activities and access to the water, but they encourage runoff, erosion, flooding and the destruction of habitat around the lake. Open areas with fertilized lawn also attract geese whose guano contains a bacteria that can be harmful to humans, and high nitrates that can reduce oxygen availability in lakes. Landowners can enjoy open spaces while protecting the lake by establishing a “no mow zone” along the shore - preserving taller, native vegetation helps maintain the lake’s natural protective barrier, or buffer zone. A minimum of 30 feet is recommended for adequate filtration and habitat preservation, although 100 feet is better. In general, steeper shores or shores with finer soil particles typically require larger buffer zones for optimal functioning.
To connect upland recreational areas to the shoreline, it is best to establish one single path down to the shore which can be mulched or gravelled to keep the soil stable while still allowing for absorption of water and runoff. For upland areas, open lawn spaces can still be maintained for recreation and sports opportunities, but their impact can be reduced by splitting the lawn into sections with gardens and vegetation corridors planted in between. This can not only create a beautiful aesthetic to the property, but it will also allow for the pooling and infiltration of runoff into the soil in between impermeable lawn spaces.
Beaches
Sand that is imported for sunbathing and wading areas is a temporary addition to the shoreland that can have long-term negative impacts on the lake environment. Sand along the shore ends up being carried out into the lake via wave action, causing siltation. When siltation occurs, the fine particles in the water can smother and suffocate fish eggs, bury mayflies in their burrows, and cover cracks, crevices, and vegetation that fish, frogs, and toads depend on to lay their eggs. To enjoy the sand and protect the lake, setting a beach back from the shoreline (especially one that is more like a sandbox and in the upland zone) can be a good compromise. Forgoing the sand altogether is even better! Maintaining the shoreland’s vegetative buffer also helps prevent soil from land erosion having the same effect on the littoral zone as sand. Finally, when it comes to “tidying-up” the shoreline and beach area, removing too much “wrack” (i.e. the narrow band of washed-up coarse woody debris, vegetation and dead organisms along a shoreline) can greatly reduce the biodiversity of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Wrack is essential for providing food and organic carbon needed to support soils and sediment, and for feeding and sheltering microbes and invertebrates which support fish nurseries and other animals. Thus, try to avoid “cleaning” the shoreline as much as possible.
Swimming and Docking
Fewer rocks, vegetation, and wood debris in the water can improve swimming and docking areas for people, but can be disastrous for the lakes’ inhabitants. Removing these natural features means removing essential oxygen sources, food resources, and habitats for many aquatic species. Clearing a designated area for swimming and safe boating while maintaining areas for aquatic vegetation and other features can be a good compromise. Simply adding a buoy, flag, or other indicator of these elements is even better because it can help swimmers and boaters navigate through the waters while keeping these areas intact. To limit aquatic plants which interfere with swimming opportunities, preventative measures are best. Limiting the amount of excess nutrients that enter the lake by monitoring what goes on the land (e.g., reducing or avoiding the use of fertilizers) and maintaining the shoreland’s natural buffer zone can help ensure there is a healthy balance of aquatic vegetation – enough for a healthy lake, but not too much to pester people or pollute the lake environment. This will also help prevent the establishment of invasive aquatic plants which can be the most cumbersome to swim with.
Docks can also be used as a bridge to bypass aquatic vegetation in shallow waters. Floating and cantilever docks have the least impact on wildlife. To learn more about building or repairing docks that minimize harm, see the Dock Primer: A Cottager’s Guide to Waterfront Friendly Docks, produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Cottage Life.
References and Reading Resources
A Shoreline Owner’s Guide to Healthy Waterfronts, produced by the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations
A Shoreline Owner’s Guide to Lakeland Living, produced by the Lakeland Alliance
Kipp, C. & Callaway, S. (2003). On the Living Edge: Your Handbook for Waterfront Living, Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.
Love Your Lake: Erosion, produced by Canadian Wildlife Federation and Watersheds Canada
Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy, 2011: Renewing Our Commitment to Protecting What Sustains Us, produced by the Ontario Biodiversity Council
Strayer, D., & Findlay, S. (2010). Ecology of freshwater shore zones. Aquatic Sciences, 72(2), 127–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-010-0128-9
The Shore Primer: A Cottager’s Guide to a Healthy Waterfront, produced by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Association with Cottage Life
Take the Plunge: A Guide to Stewardship of Ontario’s Waters, produced by the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations