Creating Resilient Shorelines
Why is a natural shoreline important for our lake? The shallow waters near the shore can provide habitat that is essential for the life cycles of fish and wildlife. Over the years, seawalls and riprap have reduced the natural shoreline habitat that is important for fish, wildlife and the filtering of pollutant runoff.
A 2019 drone survey of the Portage Lake Shoreline found that of the 385 waterfront parcels surveyed, only 11% had natural shorelines, while 44% had a seawall and 29 % had riprap. These findings have been substantiated in the 2023 report from the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP), Score the Shore Habitat Assessment, which ranks Portage Lake slightly below average among 97 lakes included in the study. The report states, “all of the habitat ranges from slightly to moderately degraded, depending where in the lake one is looking. There are some sections that are quite healthy and natural, and others where there is not much natural habitat remaining.”
However, today’s technology and infrastructure provide available and achievable opportunities to “restore the shore” and combat these negative impacts. For example, Portage Lake Watershed Forever has purchased several wetland parcels on the north side of the lake to create the Cedar Grove Wetland Preserve. Preserving this wetland, which has a hydrological connection to the lake, will help protect the lake’s water quality and preserve habitat important to fish and other wildlife. This year PLWF will embark on a new project to create a public walking trail through these wetlands.
Lakefront property owners can also help preserve and restore a more resilient, natural shoreline, often just by making small changes, such as preserving a natural buffer of native trees, plants and grasses along the shoreline. Check out the Michigan Natural Shorelines Partnership Shorelines Stewards program (www.mishorelinepartnership.org) to help you assess your shoreline and what you can do to improve it. As their website points out, “Not everyone can do everything, but everyone can do something.”