Getting in ' The Zone'
Living Softly on Our Lakes:
A Manifesto for a Healthier Shoreline

"The boathouses of Muskoka, these quirky, often elegant harbingers of the cottages that lie hidden in the woods, will become historic treasures, never to be duplicated. " So Judy Ross lamented in 1993 in her photo book of boathouses, At the Water's Edge, in reaction to the the MNR's short-lived attempt to ban construction of new two-storey boathouses. Her eulogy was premature: eagerness to build over the water is greater than ever.

The riparian zone: where water meets land. It's where great blue heron feed on frogs that munch on mayflies that dine on decaying vegetation. Left naturally, it's a rich and diverse environment where wildlife congregates with aquatic vegetation. The waterfront is also where we spend most of our time at the cottage. We swim, boat, sit and sun there. But cottage life has changed over the years. We have acquired an urge to tidy up; mow the lawn; clear the "weeds;" whipper-snip the shore and create a beach. Without realizing it, our desire for a spick-and-span shoreline is compromising the quality of our lakes and, in turn, disturbing the herons, frogs, mayflies and aquatic vegetation.

Even if we aren't concerned about the wildlife that shares our lakes, we could think of it another way. Changing our habits around the waterfront could save us time and money, protect our property investment, enhance our relationship with neighbours and safeguard the health of our family.

Good stewardship: Corners of a waterfront left in their natural state will offer up pleasant surprises of shorebirds.

When we first purchase a cottage we don't plan on performing the same household chores we do at home. However, we bring with us preconceived ideas of what we want our cottage to look like.

"It's difficult to measure the effect on lake quality when one person cuts their lawn to the water, one person builds a dock or one person clears all the plant life from their shoreline," says Judi Brouse, director of water programs for the Muskoka Watershed Council. "But if everyone does it, all of a sudden we are overloading our lakes and increasing the stress on them. It's a cumulative effect."

And all of a sudden Muskoka looks like Oakville, a place we enjoy living in, but intended to escape for a while.

The Muskoka Watershed Council works in a partnership with the Muskoka Heritage Foundation and The District Municipality of Muskoka. The Council works to enhance awareness of issues concerning the health of our Muskoka watershed and encourages appropriate land use and activities.

"Try to remember why you bought your cottage in the first place," says Brouse. Leave your preconceptions at home.

"Resist the urge to tidy," says Gayle Carlyle, who worked last summer as coordinator of the Muskoka Docktalk Program, a stewardship program for waterfront property owners that promotes sustainable living along the water's edge. Docktalk is a joint project between the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, Muskoka Watershed Council, District Municipalities of Muskoka, Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

"Everyone likes to know there are fish, minnows and frogs in the lake," Carlyle says. "But when we cover up aquatic vegetation or remove it thinking it's just weeds, we change the chemistry of the lake and alter the habitat for fish and wildlife."

The District of Muskoka has summer staff that work with lake associations and lake residents and recommend how you can make your shoreline more environmentally friendly.

A boathouse won't harm water quality or the integrity of a shoreline if the owner recognizes that a percentage of the waterfront should be kept natural.

Ensure your dock, boathouse and other structures do not cover more than 25% of your shoreline and that they are shore-friendly.

Minimize changes to your shoreline. Obtain necessary permits and ensure that your shoreline work does not harm fish habitat.

Floating or post-supported docks and boathouses allow minimal disturbance to river and lake bottoms and do not limit water movement by the shore. Solid planking docks, concrete docks and breakwalls limit places for aquatic life to hide. Use untreated cedar, fir, hemlock, tamarack and plastic wood that will not decompose under water.

Leave 75% or more of your shoreline in its natural state.

"If you need a swimming area, don't clear 150 feet of your shoreline, leave some of it for aquatic habitat," says Carlyle.

Shoreline vegetation affects water quality by filtering nutrients, sediment, pesticides and organic matter. It also anchors the soil and reduces the amount of wave, rain and current erosion that destroy fish spawning beds.

"A buffer strip acts as a living filter," says Carlyle. "It also increases the water holding capacity of the shore, stabilizes banks and protects aquatic life." Boulders, driftwood and overhanging branches create shade that provides cover for aquatic life and prevents the overheating of water.

Stop mowing your lawn.

"Turf grass is probably one of the worst things you can do," Carlyle says.

"Make a path down to the water instead of mowing the whole lawn. I always recommend planting low bush blueberry. It's hardy, grows everywhere in Muskoka and is low so you can still have a view to the lake."

"Get rid of lawns completely," Brouse says. "Or have your lawn behind a buffer of shrubs so nutrients get absorbed before they go into the water. Increases in nutrients can lead to algae blooms."

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Muskoka, Ontario