Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...

LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED PLAN
Overview of Restoration Strategy
The Lake Erie North Shore watershed faces many challenges and its restoration requires a
collaboration of all stakeholders with a vested interest in this study area. As outlined in the
Restoration Strategy, many of the subwatersheds are drained by municipal drains. Therefore finding
a balance between form and function is critical to this study area. The Restoration Strategy identifies
numerous priority areas for the potential establishment of riparian buffer areas. The establishment
and maintenance of riparian buffer zones plays an important role in terms of water quality and fish
habitat not only for the subwatersheds but for Lake Erie. Upstream activities need to be managed in
a sustainable manner as these actions affect not only the ecosystem in its direct and surrounding
vicinity, but Lake Erie and its related ecosystems. In addition, maintaining a healthy shoreline is also
important in protecting the overall water quality of Lake Erie.
The Restoration Strategy also identifies numerous
potential opportunities for enhancement of existing
natural areas; bulking them up to increase patch size.
Larger patches tend to have a greater “diversity of
habitat niches and therefore are more likely to support
a greater richness and/or diversity of wildlife species”
(EC 2004c). The Restoration Strategy also identifies
opportunities for the establishment of Critical Functions
Zones. A Critical Function Zone “describes nonwetland
areas within which biophysical functions or
attributes directly related to the wetland [of interest]
occur” (EC 2004c). These areas are functional
extensions of the wetland into the upland area and provide a number of functions for wetlandassociated
fauna that extend beyond the wetland boundary (e.g. nesting habitats, foraging areas).
When the planning process is initiated to implement a restoration project in the study area, prairies
and meadows should be given consideration and incorporated in habitat creation as they play an
important role in creating habitat diversity and
foraging areas for wildlife.
Opportunities for the establishment of corridor
connections between fragmented areas are also
identified. Such linkages not only provide shelter to
facilitate in the movement of wildlife between
natural areas, but they also promote seed
dispersal and biodiversity in the watershed. The
Restoration Strategy identifies core natural areas
that should act as building blocks in which to
connect and restore gaps in the surrounding
landscape.
Throughout the Restoration Strategy the establishment of a number of buffers types and locations
for these buffers have been recommended (e.g. riparian, buffering land uses). It is important to note
that the role of a buffer and its function is directly related to its location. For a list of objectives and
functions for conservation buffers, please refer to the chart in Appendix G. This chart was taken
directly from Conservation Buffers; Design Guidelines for Buffers, Corridors, and Greenways
(Bentrup 2008) and can be a useful tool when planning such a restoration project.
As indicated earlier, the Lake Erie North Shore watershed currently contains approximately 16
percent wetland cover, 20 percent forest cover, and approximately 64 percent of the watercourses in
233