We are very excited to partner with Watersheds Canada and Canadian Wildlife Federation to bring Love Your Lake to the Carrot River Watershed. Love Your Lake is a shoreline evaluation and stewardship program that was developed by Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF). Lakes participating in the Love Your Lake program will be assessed on a property-by-property basis using a standardized assessment protocol and datasheet. After every shoreline property on a lake is assessed from a boat, each shoreline landowner will receive access to an individualized property report consisting of information on the state of their shoreline and suggested voluntary actions for shoreline improvement. These simple suggested actions help protect and enhance shoreline and lake health. In 2017, we are working with the RM of Invergordon No.430 to bring Love Your Lake to Struthers and Dixon Lakes. Our staff will be assessing approximately 250 shoreline properties in total on these two lakes in June and July, with the reports being made available to property owners in the spring of 2018.
The CRVWA launched Love Your Lake at Wakaw Lake in 2016. During the course of the summer of 2016, our staff assessed 900 properties along the shoreline of Wakaw Lake, and each shoreline property owner was given access to their individual and confidential property report. These reports identify voluntary actions that landowners may chose to make to help protect the health of their lake. The Wakaw Lake Lake Summary Report provides a general overview of the shoreline data that was collected, and identifies stewardship actions that could help to improve the overall health of Wakaw Lake. We are proud to be 1 of the 5 watershed stewardship organizations that brought this program to Saskatchewan for the first time in 2016. More information can be found on-line or by contacting our office at 306-752-1270.
As part of the Love Your Lake program, shoreline property owners are sent a values survey at the launch of the project for their lake. The responses to the survey are the compiled into a summary report. The Love Your Lake Values Survey Report for Wakaw Lake contains the compiled results of the survey that was distributed to shoreline property owners at Wakaw Lake in May 2016.
As a follow-up to Love Your Lake, the CRVWA is proud to be able to work with shoreline property owners to encourage naturalization of their shorelines. Natural shorelines help to protect our water bodies, stabilize soils, provide valuable habitat to wildlife, promote biodiversity, and contribute to a healthy, functioning riparian area ecosystem. More information about the CRVWA Natural Edge Program for 2017 is available by contacting our office.