Organizing and Assessing Information for Great Lakes Shoreline Community Based Decision-Making

Along the Great Lakes shoreline are found many significant environmental areas that are under increasing pressure from human development and land use activities. The local communities in these areas often lack the necessary basic information available, organized and assessed in such a manner to assist in environmental, land use, development and related decisionmaking activities. To address this concern for the Long Point area on the north shore of Lake Erie an Environmental Folio was prepared to identify the key planning and management issues in the context of significance, stresses, and responses for abiotic, biotic and cultural resources. The results highlight the importance of the unique geological and biological characteristics of Long Point, the range of important natural habitats and presence of rare and threatened plant and animal species, and the cultural aspect of land uses and conservation efforts. The development of the folio suggests the necessity of preparing information in such a manner and by means to provide the basis for the identification of key principles for community based decision-making along the Great Lakes shoreline which include acknowledging those outstanding natural areas, planning as a cooperative venture, the important role of raising public understanding and awareness of such areas, and considering Long Point and similar shoreline environs as essential to the human landscape of North America.