MWC working with partners to assess the health of Six Mile Lake’s shoreline

Love Your Lake Graphic

Muskoka Watershed Council is partnering with Watersheds Canada (WC) and the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) to assess the shoreline health of Six Mile Lake this summer through the Love Your Lake program.

“We are thrilled that this popular stewardship program is expanding to Six Mile Lake,” says David Browne, Canadian Wildlife Federation Director of Conservation Science. “This program provides both individuals and lake organizations with the tools and information they need to improve their shorelines and ultimately make their lakes healthier.”

Since 2013, over 46,000 shoreline properties on 203 lakes have been assessed through the Love Your Lake program, including more than 7,000 properties on 25 lakes and bays in Muskoka. After every shoreline property on a lake is assessed from a boat, each shoreline property owner will receive access to an individualized property report consisting of information on the state of their shoreline and suggested voluntary actions for shoreline improvement. These simple suggested actions help protect and enhance shoreline and lake health for people and wildlife!

Andrea and Thomas, Shoreline Assessment Technicians, assess shoreline properties on Six Mile Lake for the Love Your Lake program.
Andrea and Thomas, Shoreline Assessment Technicians, assess shoreline properties on Six Mile Lake for the Love Your Lake program.

“Muskoka Watershed Council is pleased to be working with the Six Mile Lake Cottagers Association this summer to assess approximately 1,000 properties on Six Mile Lake in the Township of Georgian Bay. We are fortunate to have two local cottagers working as shoreline assessment technicians this summer to conduct the surveys, as their familiarity with the lake will benefit the program while allowing them to gain intimate knowledge of the lake and its health” explained Rebecca Willison, Watershed Planning Technician with the Muskoka Watershed Council.

This program is developed by Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) to be delivered by existing, local organizations in regions across Canada.

“We’ve received fantastic feedback from lake associations and shoreline property owners who participated in the Love Your Lake program,” says Barbara King, Watersheds Canada Director of Programs and Partnerships. “Watersheds Canada is so excited to be working with the Canadian Wildlife Federation and Muskoka Watershed Council to deliver the Love Your Lake program on Six Mile Lake this summer. By providing shoreline property owners with customized reports about their shorelines and offering suggestions for voluntary personal actions, this program solves the question about how exactly one can improve the health and longevity of their shoreline.”

For more information visit LoveYourLake.ca.

About Watersheds Canada

Watersheds Canada is a national non-profit charitable organization that works with landowners, communities and organizations to enhance and protect lakes and rivers through developing effective, transferable, long-term solutions. Watersheds Canada envisions people caring for their waters, resulting in clean, healthy lakes and rivers to support humans and wildlife for years to come. Learn more at watersheds.ca.

About the Canadian Wildlife Federation

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to ensuring an appreciation of our natural world and a lasting legacy of healthy wildlife and habitat. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, developing and delivering education programs, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending policy changes and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.