Resources for Protecting Inland Lake Shorelines
Be informed! Practice Healthy Lakeshore Management!  
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The Natural Shoreline Landscapes on Michigan's Inland Lakes: Guidebook for Property Owners provides lakefront homeowners with:
  •  a broad understanding of healthy inland lake ecosystems 
  •  an understanding of why natural shorelines are important for lakes   
  •  ideas for creating an attractive more natural shoreline 
  •  ideas for soft-shoreline alternatives to hard-shoreline structures in low energy conditions
  •  a basic understanding of regulatory requirements when work is done at the shoreline​

At this time a free downloadable file is not available. 
This publication can be purchased for $25 through MSU Extension's Bookstore at the link below:

 Natural Shoreline Landscapes on Michigan's Inland Lakes, Guidebook for Property Owners

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Natural Shoreline Landscaping: The act of creating landscapes that restore and preserve Michigan?s lakeshores for today and for future generations. Answers to property owner questions about natural shorelines on inland lakes.  This document is available for $5 through the MSU Bookstore.
​Michigan Inland Lake Shorelines - Website
Michigan State University Extension
lakeside_brochure.pdf
File Size: 2342 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
The MI Shoreland Stewards Program www.mishorelandstewards.org provides recognition for lakefront property owners who are managing their property in a lake healthy manner. This Program Guide provides lakefront property owners with:
  • An overview of why protecting inland lakes is important
  • How to register on the website and get started on the survey
  • How Lake Associations/Groups can register on the website
  • A general description of the different recognition levels, the questions and what the survey looks like.
  • And some basics about evaluating your property and ideas for best management practices.
shoreland_stewards_program_guide_final10-31-17_web.pdf
File Size: 7543 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Click on each of the photos to view and download the PDF.
Living on the Coast: Protecting Investments in Shore Property on the Great Lakes
University of Wisconsin Sea Grant and US Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District
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This booklet is about living and working on the attractive edges of the dynamic Great Lakes. There are risks from natural coastal hazards to be understood and managed when buying, building and operating private homes, residential and commercial developments, industrial buildings, and recreational facilities. This booklet provides information on the coastal environment and how to protect coastal investments.
livingonthecoast_sea_grant_usace_2003_478366_7.pdf
File Size: 2371 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Local Planning Information for Protecting Inland Lakes

Protecting Michigan's Inland Lakes: A Guide for Local Governments:
​This guidebook is designed to help local officials and concerned citizens understand the benefits of inland lakes to communities, the regulations that govern inland lakes, and the opportunities for protecting them at the local level. Protecting these important resources does not always require elaborate or expensive regulations. This guidebook outlines a variety of inland lake protection techniques, from the simple enforcement of existing statutes to comprehensive ordinances.
inlandlakes_booklet.pdf
File Size: 2908 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
inlandlakes_toolkit.pdf
File Size: 12081 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Protecting Michigan's Inland Lakes: A Toolkit for Local Governments
This toolkit is designed to provide local officials and concerned citizens with examples of different ordinances that can help protect the lakes in their communities.   This toolkit consists of two parts:
Part I: Is the book (download below) which focuses on understanding specific
goals and connecting them with specific local options that can help achieve those goals. In this part, case studies from different communities are also highlighted to illustrate how they achieved their goals.
Part II: This part is available online on the Michigan Lake Stewardship Associations website: www.mymlsa.org. Here you will find the examples of ordinances from different communities, other support materials to help local municipalities implement changes and related agency and organization contact information
Wake Boats and Lakes

Wakeboating in Michigan:
​Impacts and Best Practices
A popular recreational activity is the use of Wake Boats for wake boarding.  These types of boats create huge waves and may be detrimental to lake shorelines, bottom plants and sediments, and other recreationalists.  What is the real impact of these boats from an environmental, safety-wise, and economical perspective? Two students, Erin Jarvie and Marlena Smith, taking a Water Policy and Management course at Michigan State University recently addressed that issue for their class project and provided their report to the Michigan Chapter of the North Americans Lake Management Society. 
wakeboat_report.pdf
File Size: 738 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Learn from Minnesota too!

This online informational tool was developed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
The Restore Your Shore program will enable you to:
  • Develop a deeper understanding of shoreland ecosystems.
  • Learn from other shoreland owners' experiences.
  • Design, implement and enjoy your own shoreland project
Shoreland owners share their personal restoration experiences with you in Shore Lore where you will discover how other properties were transformed into beautiful, easily maintained shorelands.
​Shoreline Alterations:  Natural Buffers and Landscaping
Minnesota DNR

Protecting Our Waters:  Shoreland Best Management Practices
University of Minnesota Extension

Shoreland Landscape Design, Maintenance and Management to Protect Water Quality
University of Minnesota

Learn from Wisconsin Too!
MNSP Member Page