Naturalized Shorelines

The following information was taken from https://www.beshore.ca/ a website originating through the CHA that provides important information about why naturalizing your shoreline is important to all of us on Horseshoe Lake.

Did you know that:

• Blue Green Algae (BGA) occurs naturally in our lakes, rivers and streams but can become extremely toxic when it creates 'blooms'.
• While climate change is of course partly responsible for the increased number of blooms, shoreline over-development is accelerating their number and frequency. In just a matter of days, these blooms can make a lake so poisonous that it can no longer be used for swimming, fishing or in our home.
• Our lakes’ natural shorelines are a wonderful example of form meeting function: they are perfectly designed to filter the waters that flow through them before they reach our lakes. They are the perfect habitat for the wildlife that lives among them. And, at the same time, they are a stunning natural backdrop for our own lives at the lake.
• ·A 30-metre natural shoreline, rich in native vegetation, requires minimal maintenance, offers the best defence against damaging nutrient run-off and lakeside erosion, and keeps the whole local ecosystem healthy and working as Nature intended.
• Natural shorelines protect lake water by filtering out the runoff that contains pollutants such as:

·  These pollutants can result in:

Natural shorelines:  Improve wildlife habitat, prevent land erosion and most importantly….

 Reduce the risks to the long-term water quality associated with Pollutants

To better understand how our actions can impact the health of our lake, we encourage you to read any of the following resources from FOCA and the CHA:

Federation of Ontario Cottage Associations (FOCA)

•  A Shoreline Owner’s Guide to Healthy Waterfronts: https://foca.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/FOCA_Shoreline_Guide_FINAL_ed_2019.pdf
• Shoreline Stewardship: https://foca.on.ca/shorelines-stewardship/

Coalition of Haliburton County Property Owners Associations (CHA) –

• Healthy Shorelines and Lakes https://www.cohpoa.org/resources/healthy-shorelines/

What Can You Do To Help?

·  Educate yourself on why and how to naturalize your shoreline. The CHA and the BeShore Websites are great resources for this.  https://www.cohpoa.org/ , https://www.beshore.ca/

·  Do not use fertilizers and pesticides as they can run off into the lake.

·   Do what you can on your property. While research indicates that a 30m ribbon of naturalized shoreline is the optimal in contributing positively to the health of the lake, consider how you might simply increase the amount of natural shoreline (maybe just an additional 5 metre ribbon) on your property this year. For ideas on what you can plant, the CHA has a great tool on their website: https://www.cohpoa.org/shoreline-health/shoreline-plant-search/  

·  You might be able to do the above by just setting out a “no mow zone” for areas that you don’t need access to. Nature will rebound – and you’ll be amazed at some of the wildlife which will show up on your property!

·  Leave trees on your shoreline to help filter nutrients before they go into the water.

·  If you are planning any tree removal or changes to your shoreline, please review the Haliburton County Shoreline Preservation Bylaw was passed on March 23 2023, effective April 1 2023 to ensure you are in compliance with permits and regulations. Click here to learn more. https://www.haliburtoncounty.ca/en/planning-and-maps/resources/Documents/Shoreline-Preservation-By-law-as-Enacted-March-22-2023_Remediated.pdf