Coast Watchers, a program designed and built by the Lake Huron Coastal Centre in Goderich, Ontario, engages community members to take an active part in observing and improving the quality of Lake Huron through individual actions. Huron Pines is leading the program on the Michigan shoreline as part of the Lake Huron Forever Initiative, with the expectation that it can help guide and prioritize future restoration efforts along the Northern Michigan coast.

As part of the Coast Watchers program, participants are trained to record air and water temperatures, seasonal changes in water levels, and occurrences of sensitive or invasive plants, fish die-offs, storm damage or pollution. Volunteers are local residents who visit their designated stretch of shoreline once a week May to October to collect information and contribute to a long-running data set on the condition of the Lake Huron coast. This information guides restoration efforts, while engaging local volunteers in direct science.

Volunteers also have the opportunity to conduct monitoring at potential piping plover nesting sites during the monitoring season (May to August). It is through experiences like these that volunteers become local leaders and advocates for restoration, protection and recreation along Lake Huron.

If you are interested in becoming a Coast Watcher volunteer or would like to learn more about shoreline monitoring opportunities, please email Maddie Khuri, Community Education Project Manager at Huron Pines, at maddie@huronpines.org.