Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative

Our goal is always to optimize and expand local action to build a healthy and resilient Lake Erie coastal ecosystem that supports the community’s economic, recreational, spiritual, and environmental needs.

As we welcome spring and dive into the field season, our collaborative staff, interns and Niagara College student members are eager to share the work that's been happening throughout this past quarter in preparation of 2022 monitoring and restoration activities!

Spring 2022

Initiative Updates

VAST 2022 Season Launch is here!

It's that time of year again! Time to dust off your sandals and hit the beach. After a successful pilot year, VAST is ready to launch for it's second year! VAST's citizen scientists fill knowledge gaps across our Great Lakes shorelines by tracking changes and creating a near real-time coastal monitoring network.

Learn more about VAST's impact here

2021 Story Map

Nature-based Shoreline Restoration coming soon!

This year, Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative will be working with landowners, volunteers, and students to implement nature-based solutions that will increase shoreline resiliency and create critical habitat for wildlife and species at risk across Niagara’s Lake Erie shoreline.

Sign up for Community-based Water Monitoring!

Starting in June, join us as we collect important water quality data that will help people make informed decisions about when and where they want to access the water. Volunteers are given the opportunity to learn about and become more connected to the water in their communities while providing important information to recreational users and beach managers.

Niagara College Student Spotlight

Thank you, Kianna!

This quarter, Niagara Coastal was fortunate to work with Niagara College graduate student, Kianna Gervais. Kianna has been working towards a post-grad diploma in Environmental Management and Assessment and is extremely passionate about fresh water access for all.

Kianna has been familiarizing herself with collaborative work in the eNGO world by diligently consolidating Niagara Coastal's Meeting Minutes, and uploading existing Cladophora Algae survey data into the VAST Experience Web App, establishing a long-term data set that tracks coastal trends.

Thank you for all your hard work this quarter, Kianna! Best of luck in the future. Learn more about Kianna's graduate program here.

Niagara College x Niagara Coastal Student Projects

Over the past 5 years, Niagara College students have been an integral component of the Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative. This year, Niagara College students enrolled in the Ecosystem Restoration graduate program conducted two studies with support from Niagara Coastal staff to fill knowledge gaps across Niagara's Great Lakes shorelines. The following highlights provide a summary of these projects and their findings. Thank you Stevie-Rae, Erik, Jade, Megan and Hayden!

Introducing...

Niagara Coastal Fact Sheets

Do you want to learn more about Niagara's Great Lakes coastal environment but don't know where to start?

Visit our Coastal Academy

Curious about a coastal issue or topic that we haven't covered yet?

Let us know by following the link below.

Submit Topic

Additional Resources

Great Lakes Nearshore Webinar Series

Cumulative Assessment of the Canadian Great Lakes Nearshore

"The “nearshore waters” of the Great Lakes are where the land meets the water. They are the ecological link between the watersheds and the water and is where most people interact directly with our Great Lakes. However, nuisance and harmful algae, harmful chemicals, bacterial contamination of beaches and impediments to coastal processes are impacting water quality and ecosystem health in the nearshore. Environment and Climate Change Canada has conducted the first cumulative assessment of the Canadian Great Lakes nearshore waters; the Great Lakes community is invited to the webinar series to explore the results and discuss the findings."

-Environment and Climate Change Canada

Session 1: Out of sight, but not out of mind: Contaminants in Water, Sediment, and Fish

Session 2: 8,500 km of Great Lakes shoreline: Coastal Processes

Session 3: With Great Lakes, comes Great Responsibility: Areas of High Ecological Value

Session 4: Nutrients, too much of a good thing: Nuisance & Harmful Algae

www.niagaracoastal.ca