The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation is into the final months of a Coastal Action Plan that started three years ago.
Coastal Stewardship Coordinator Hannah Cann was one of the speakers at Wednesday night's International Joint Commission public meeting in Goderich.
"With the last six months of this program coming to an end in December, the program will really encompass the shoreline from Sarnia to Tobermory, seeing where opportunities lie to address the present stressors and then determining what actions will be appropriate for each community," she said.
Cann said stressors that are common to all of the ecosystems are invasive species.
Hannah Cann – Coastal Stewardship Coordinator, Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation (photo by Bob Montgomery)
"There are six big invasive species that affect our lakeshore, but the one that's most common along our lake is phragmites, which is that tall, common grass. We also have a few invasive species that live in the water, like zebra mussels that have affected us since the early 80s," she said.
Other threats identified are shoreline development and shoreline hardening, as well as point and non-point source pollution.
Cann added the interest shown by people living along the shoreline clearly demonstrates their appreciation of the asset, and their desire to protect the lake for future generations.
