Commentary: Saving the lake through shoreline stewardship
… Shorelines are the backbone of any lake, pond, stream, or coastal zone. They provide the structure around the water and act as a zone of transition between the land and the water. … In Clear Lake, because the majority of the lake is a shallow basin or bordered by shallow-sloped shorelines and the lake water level can go from very full to very low within a couple years, the shoreline around the lake and the littoral zone share a lot of the same physical space and features. Sometimes the shoreline zone is inundated with water and sometimes it’s not. When you consider this variability, you realize that shorelines truly are special. They provide habitat for a unique and specific range of organisms, flora, and fauna. When shorelines are removed, converted, or become degraded, we can see significant species and biodiversity loss because of the specific niche habitat the shoreline provides.
—Written Angela De Palma-Dow, limnologist who lives and works in Lake County, certified lake manager with the North American Lake Management Society and current president/chair of the California chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science