Protecting a lake means caring for its water, wildlife, shoreline, wetlands, and the entire watershed surrounding it.
Lakes may seem separated from the land around them, but everything happening in their watersheds can eventually affect the water. Successful conservation therefore combines clean-water protection with habitat restoration, responsible recreation, invasive-species prevention, scientific monitoring, and cooperation among entire communities.
Natural vegetation along lake edges reduces erosion while providing habitat for fish and wildlife.
Learn MoreKeeping excess soil, fertilizer, chemicals, and waste out of stormwater helps protect lake water.
Learn MorePreventing unwanted organisms from entering a lake is often easier than removing them later.
Learn MoreWetlands and vegetated buffer zones help protect water while providing valuable wildlife habitat.
Learn MoreBoaters, anglers, swimmers, and visitors can enjoy lakes while reducing their impact on wildlife and water.
Learn MoreScientists and community volunteers can work together to track changes and protect lakes for the future.
Learn MoreNatural lake shorelines often contain grasses, shrubs, trees, fallen logs, rocks, and shallow-water plants. Roots hold soil together and reduce erosion, while overhanging plants provide shade and habitat for insects, fish, amphibians, and birds. Removing all vegetation and replacing it with bare soil or hard surfaces can increase runoff and reduce habitat. Conservation projects often restore native shoreline plants while still allowing carefully planned places for people to reach the water.
Rainwater flowing across roads, lawns, farms, and developed land can carry sediment, fertilizer, bacteria, oil, and other substances toward lakes. Unlike pollution coming from a single pipe, this widespread runoff can be difficult to control because it comes from many different places. Vegetated areas, rain gardens, erosion controls, careful fertilizer use, and good stormwater systems can reduce what reaches the water. Protecting a lake therefore often requires action throughout the entire watershed, not only along the shoreline.
An invasive species is an organism introduced outside its native range that causes ecological, economic, or other harm. Aquatic plants, mussels, fish, and microscopic organisms can sometimes move between lakes on boats, trailers, fishing equipment, or transported water. Cleaning, draining, and drying equipment according to local guidance can reduce this risk. Once an invasive species becomes established across a large lake, controlling it may be extremely difficult, making prevention one of the most effective conservation strategies.
Wetlands around lakes are not wasted or useless land—they are highly productive ecosystems. Wetland vegetation can slow moving water, trap some sediment, store floodwater, and provide breeding and feeding habitat for wildlife. Vegetated buffer strips between developed land and water can perform similar protective functions. Restoring damaged wetlands and buffers can therefore improve both habitat and the ability of a watershed to handle runoff.
Lakes provide places for boating, fishing, paddling, swimming, wildlife watching, and many other activities. Visitors can reduce their impact by disposing of waste properly, avoiding sensitive nesting areas, following fishing regulations, preventing fuel or chemicals from entering the water, and operating boats responsibly near shorelines. Wake and noise can disturb wildlife or contribute to erosion in some locations, especially near vulnerable shorelines. Recreation and conservation can work together when people understand how their actions affect the ecosystem.
Protecting a lake begins with understanding how it is changing. Scientists measure water chemistry, clarity, temperature, oxygen, species populations, shoreline conditions, and many other indicators, while trained community volunteers can sometimes contribute valuable long-term observations. Data collected over many years can reveal trends that would otherwise be difficult to notice. When residents, scientists, governments, schools, and conservation groups share information and work together, they can make better decisions about the future of a lake.