Lakes is mostly abrupt, although there are some protected areas on the 

 northern shore of Lake Huron and also at Cecil Bay west of Mackinaw 

 City, Michigan. These protected areas have shores conducive to aquatic 

 plant growth but the gentle action of the water there has resulted in 

 no erosion hazard. Thus, areas where aquatic plants will survive 

 are not areas of primary concern relative to erosion. Where erosion 

 and shoreline recession is a major problem, the coastline conditions 

 and wave action prevent growth of hydrophytes, especially submergent 

 plants . 



Wave action along the shores of Lakes Superior, Erie, and Ontario 

 prevents establishment of any hydrophytic plants that might have 

 erosion-controlling properties. 



Lakes Michigan and Huron have some protected bays and inlets suit- 

 able for emergent and submergent vegetation. Plants observed there 

 were herbaceous terete species. Other plants, such as great bulrush, 

 spike rush, and bulrush, will establish there if the shore is gently 

 sloping. 



A gently sloping shore on Lake Huron 3.5 miles east of the State 

 Route 134 and Interstate 75 interchange provided habitat for bluejoint, 

 great bulrush, and rush. These plants will not withstand harsh wave 

 action; they cannot be considered suitable for wave attenuation. 



One of the few excellent habitats for emergent hydrophytes was 

 found on Lake Michigan at Cecil Bay, where great bulrush and spike rush 

 were very effective in wave dampening. 



b. Terrestrial Vegetation and Shore Alterations . The ability of 

 a shoreline to resist erosion, or its resiliency to water dynamics, de- 

 pends upon the composition of material making up the shore front and the 

 adaptability of its vegetation. The erosion resistance of the Great 

 Lakes shores diminishes from the rock bluffs and rocky shorelines of 

 Lakes Superior and Huron, to the sandy beaches of Lake Michigan, to the 

 silty-clay bluffs along Lake Erie. Similarly, the erosion abatement 

 potential of the terrestrial vegetation varies from location to loca- 

 tion along the Great Lakes shores. 



Qualitative evaluations of the erosion-controlling potential of 

 each vegetative species were obtained in situ using the scorecard 

 (Table 1). Species found during the field survey are listed in Table 4, 

 and an average site index of the observed species is given in Table 5. 

 Vegetative species classified as excellent for erosion abatement in 

 their ecologically adapted areas included balsam firm, juniper, creep- 

 ing cedar, brome grass, reed (Fhragmites communis) , wild rye, blue- 

 joint, prairie sandreed, spike rush, great bulrush, rush, balsam 

 poplar, cottonwood, speckled alder (Alnus vugosa) , silver-weed, beach- 

 pea, false heather, red osier dogwood, and bearberry. The remaining 

 species classified as good include scouring rush, wheat grass, wild 

 rye, reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) , bulrush (Soirpus 

 amevioanus) , false Solomon's seal, sandbar willow, heart-leaved willow, 



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