Volunteers help revitalize Camp Kawartha shoreline
Project is aimed at addressing effects of waterfront landscaping
A shoreline naturalization project at Camp Kawartha attracted more than 30 volunteers to the camp north of Peterborough Saturday.
This year’s work is the first phase of a two-year shoreline project at the camp, and will improve a 20-metre by 15-metre stretch of grassy sloping shoreline, organizers stated in a press release. A woodland portion will be planted next year. On Saturday, the volunteers planted more than 1,300 native shrubs and perennial wildflowers.
The shoreline naturalization project is the keynote event in the “Year of the Natural Shoreline” declared by the Environment Council for Clear, Stoney and White Lakes, supported by local donors, including Stony Lake Heritage Foundation, Ontario Wildlife Foundation, Helen Batten of Basterfield and Associates, Ralph and Carol Ingleton and Rob and Penny Little.
“Lake residents will be able to see first-hand how the work was done and how the ideas can be applied to their own waterfronts. This will be a great tool to inspire waterfront owners to naturalize their shorelines for beauty, for wildlife and to help protect the lake,” stated Lois Wallace of the Environment Council.
The plan came together with the efforts of Basterfield and Associates Landscape Architects of Peterborough and Douglas Kennedy, of Green Side Up Environmental Services of Omemee, is installing the planting beds, erosion control features and paths and will oversee the
planting.
The naturalization of the shoreline will stabilize its slope and reduce erosion, making the shoreline more resilient to climate change, and will help protect lake water quality by reducing nutrient run-off, the press release states. Planting native shrubs and flowers will greatly increase the plant diversity of the shoreline area, providing wildlife habitat and supplying food and nectar for birds, bees and butterflies.
“The restored areas will become an important part of Camp Kawartha’s outdoor environmental education programs, and will complement our future Living Building capital project,” stated Camp Kawartha executive director Jacob Rodenburg.
The Environment Council will organize guided tours of the restored areas to show other residents in the area the importance and advantages of protecting natural shorelines and restoring shorelines that have been damaged or altered with hard landscaping and lawns.