The quality of Lake Huron water and beaches has come into question in recent years. Beach postings, algae fouling, and incidences of dead birds and fish washing onto the beach are some of the concerns regarding Lake Huron’s coastal environment. Government agencies have collected segments of information related to environmental quality concerns along the coast, but the data collected is often limited to ‘snapshots’ in time. The difficulty is that local conditions can change quickly. Coast Watchers is an initiative designed to engage members of the community to take an active part in both observing and helping to improve the quality of our nearshore waters through individual actions.

Community volunteers are trained to observe the coast, record shoreline conditions, qualified and quantified. Workshops and information resources will also be organized to help inform and educate people about best coastal stewardship practices.

Through Coast Watchers, volunteers are the eyes and ears of the lakeshore. With Coast Watcher volunteers collecting information methodically and consistently along the lakeshore, it will be possible to track conditions and trends

What do I do as a Coast Watcher?

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• You will choose a section of beach in your area to collect information once per week.

• You will have recording sheets to document your observations.

• You can record weekly, daily, or however frequently your schedule allows.

• Each month you will submit the recorded information (by email or regular mail)

• The Coastal Centre compiles the data into our long-term dataset for lake-wide monitoring.

What kind of Information do I collect?

You will collect both observational data and measured data.

Observational information is simply the recording of things

you can observe, such as:

• Wave height

• Wave direction

• Wind strength

• Wind direction

• Things that have washed up on the beach (algae, fish/bird carcasses, garbage, etc.)

• Weather

• Occurrences of gulls and other shorebirds resting or feeding along the beach

• Numbers of beach users (people)

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Measured data will include the recording of:

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• Precipitation (you will be assigned a rain gauge)

• Water clarity (you will be assigned a Secchi Disk)

• Water temperature (you will be assigned a thermometer)

• Air temperature

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Community Workshops

Community workshops can be organized to help educate local 

residents and visitors about caring for the coast. Staff from the

Coastal Centre, and other organizations, will be available to

present information on the state of the lake and the different ways

individuals can participate by adopting best stewardship practices on their own properties.

Government agencies have collected segments of information related to environmental quality concerns along the coast, but the data collected is often limited to ‘snapshots’ in time. The difficulty is that local conditions can change quickly.

 Coast Watchers is an initiative designed to engage members of the community to take an active part in both observing and helping to improve the quality of our nearshore waters through individual actions.

Through Coast Watchers, volunteers are the eyes and ears of the lakeshore. With Coast Watcher volunteers collecting information methodically and consistently along the lakeshore, it will be possible to track conditions and trends.

Funding generously provided by: