The Shoreline Protection Program is now open for applications!
This year, choose from two different streams:
- For Applicants within the Thunder Bay Area of Concern
- For Applicants experiencing Blue-Green Algae/Cyanobacteria
Download the PDFs below and submit your application to stewardship@lakeheadca.com no later than May 4, 2026. LRCA Staff will contact you to arrange a site visit and provide a personalized planting plan, including up to 100 native plants to restore your shoreline or streambank. Participants are responsible for picking up their plants from the LRCA Administrative Office at 130 Conservation Rd in June and planting them following the planting plan provided. Should you have any questions about program eligibility, please contact stewardship@lakeheadca.com.
Thank you to the Ministry of Natural Resources for funding the Area of Concern Shoreline Protection Program, and to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks for supporting the Cyanobacteria Shoreline Protection Program.
Thunder Bay Area of Concern ApplicantsBlue-Green Algae/Cyanobacteria Applicants
The Superior Stewards Shoreline Protection Program is a shoreline assessment and educational stewardship program that supports private landowners in planting native vegetation to enhance shoreline and riparian zones, rehabilitate and maintain healthy shoreline habitat, provide erosion protection, and improve water quality.
Qualified participants may be eligible to receive up to 100 native plants along with an individualized planting plan and planting installation support by LRCA staff. Once plants are installed, however, it is the landowner’s responsibility to maintain the new vegetation.
The Shoreline Protection Program is focused on lands within the Thunder Bay Area of Concern to address fish and wildlife related to beneficial use impairments and is funded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.
What is a healthy shoreline or riparian zone?
Taking care of the 10-15 metre buffer between lawn and lake, river, or stream can make all the difference to the health of the watershed. Native shrubs and trees root deep into the soil and hold the bank in place, stabilizing the water’s edge against wave action and use by wildlife. These plants also help filter runoff that flows off our driveways and roofs and into our water systems. Vegetation along the water’s edge also creates a corridor used by the wildlife born, raised, and fed in these habitats. Rivers, streams, and lakes can also be a major traffic route for the spread of invasive species; by planting native species along the water’s edge in your backyard, any invasive species that come along will meet resistance as they try to establish and compete with the flourishing native flora along your shoreline.
You can still enjoy your lakeside or riverbank while naturalizing it; in fact, we believe you will enjoy it even more once there are butterflies and birds dancing around in your backyard! Vegetative shorelines will discourage geese and prevent unwanted algae buildup. You can incorporate seating, a dock, or even a campfire pit into your revegetation plans too! Here is an example of a planting plan at a lakeshore property, and another for what a planting plan could look like if you live alongside a river: