Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada
The Natural Edge Program – Protecting Shorelines
BACKYARD NATURALIZATION – Attracting Birds and Other Wildlife Species to Your Premises
As environmental awareness increases, it is only to be expected that some of this interest might be directed to our own backyards. There are concerns about what we are putting on our properties to create that “perfect lawn.” Do we need a perfect lawn? What can we do make our properties, be they large or small, more attractive to wildlife? And how much is too much of a good thing? This page will attempt to address the increasing interest we are taking these days in naturalization our backyards, how to attract wildlife, how to manage what we have, and how to dissuade those species we don’t want. It is all about doing things “naturally”, with native species of plants, natural fertilizers, composting – all those things all of us should have started doing much earlier in our lives. Watch this page regularly for more tips on how you can enhance your property and make it more attractive to wildlife.
THE NATURAL EDGE PROGRAM: Protecting Your Shoreline
Native trees and plants on the shoreline help protect water quality and the myriad of creatures who live and feed in the shoreline corridor. Look at this golden opportunity:
In partnership with Quinte Conservation, Watersheds Canada invites waterfront property owners with open shoreline who are within the Quinte Watershed to take part in the Natural Edge Program. This program applies to lakes, rivers and streams within the Salmon and Napanee Watershed regions (as well as the Moira and Prince Edward County Watersheds).
This is a great opportunity because the program helps waterfront property owners naturalize their shoreline by offering a full-service restoration program, which includes a free (confidential) site visit, creation of a shoreline planting plan, and the ordering, delivering, and planting of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
You can keep your lovely view of the water. A well planned shoreline planting can offer open access to the water, with low growing wildflowers and small shrubs for maintaining views, and larger trees and shrubs to the edges at property boundaries.
In addition, funding is provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, therefore landowners only have to pay 25% of the total project cost. This cost will vary depending on the size of the property.
Why Naturalize Your Shoreline?
A natural shoreline provides many benefits as it:
– is important habitat for over 90% of aquatic wildlife
– improves water quality through the filtration of water runoff
– stabilizes soil
– regulates water temperatures
See attached brochure. If you are interested in learning more or connecting with project staff for a confidential free site visit, contact us at naturaledge@watersheds.ca or 613-264-1244.
Or, for information, contact Susan Moore, Friends of Salmon River, at susan@moorepartners.ca or 613-379-5958.
We’re booking site visits for early April to complete plantings in May.
Cheers…
Susan Moore,
Friends of Salmon River
613-379-5958
