Caring for the Environment – Coast Watchers
Since 2021 Under the guidance of Southampton Rotarian Bruce Waechter the club has a Team of 8 Rotarians monitoring the coastline at pre-determined points in the Southampton area from Miramichi Bay through to North of the Saugeen River, on behalf of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation.
The volunteers monitor and take weekly readings of such things as:
- Air temperature
- Wind direction and speed
- Water temperature
- Wave height and direction
- Wildlife
- Plastic debris
- Storm damage
- Algae blooms
- Human beach and water activity
Coast Watchers has been a major program of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation, designed to engage members of the community to take an active part in observing and improving the quality of our nearshore waters through individual actions. Community volunteers are trained to observe the coast, record qualitative and quantitative shoreline conditions, and take steps to initiate action when necessary, including beach clean-ups and habitat preservation.
Coast Watchers volunteers have become the eyes and ears of Lake Huron’s coast. With Coast Watcher volunteers collecting information methodically and consistently along the lakeshore, it will be possible to track conditions and trends long-term, and complete actions towards resiliency and sustainability.
