useful for reducing shore erosion. Based on information from these 

 sources, plants were evaluated for their potential adaptability to 

 abate erosion on the Great Lakes shoreline. Plants were classified by 

 their ability to invade and become established as pioneer, secondary, 

 or tertiary species. 



Federal and State agencies, universities, and private industries 

 provided topographic maps of the Great Lakes shoreline and several 

 reports related to erosion problems and controls. Interviews were 

 held with personnel knowledgeable about the Great Lakes area or erosion 

 control methods . 



During the literature survey, information on use of structures and 

 shoreline modifications was collected and used to form broad guidelines 

 for evaluating how various structural and shoreline modifications might 

 be used with vegetation to decrease erosion rates. 



2. Field Survey . 



A scorecard fashioned after Parker and Woodhead's (1944) scorecard 

 was developed (Table 1) for evaluating the erosion control potential of 

 plants found at the site. The card was designed to index reproductive 

 potential, density, composition, organic litter accumulation, soil 

 deposition and removal, gully formation, slope angle, and evidence of 

 wave action. The card allowed for evaluation of species to be performed 

 in situ. Since the card includes two edaphic categories not applicable 

 to aquatic plants, the investigators weighted the evaluations of the 

 remaining parameters to compensate for the difference. The best 

 expression of each category received the lowest numerical value; plants 

 with an index less than 31 classify as potentially effective erosion 

 abatement species. 



Reconnaissance of the Lake Superior shore included the States of 

 Wisconsin and Michigan; Lake Michigan shores were surveyed near Kewaunee, 

 Wisconsin, and from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Muskegon, Michigan. The north 

 and south shore of Lake Huron were surveyed. The Lake Erie shoreline 

 from Detroit, Michigan, to Buffalo, New York, was inspected. The Lake 

 Ontario shoreline was surveyed from Youngstown to Rochester, New York, 

 wherever there was access to the lake. Sampling points (Fig. 1) for 

 each of the lakes are located by county, State, and vicinity in Table 2. 



Because private ownership along the Lake Michigan shore limited 

 access, the number of survey points there was reduced. 



III. FIELD OBSERVATIONS 

 1. Lake Superior . 



Most Wisconsin shores east of Superior to Cornucopia, particularly 

 along the red clay bluffs, are subject to eroding runoff from upland areas, 

 undercutting by wave action, and clay bank sloughing caused by seepage. 



