A beach management plan for Sauble Beach will be developed by the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation.
South Bruce Peninsula Council decided at its most recent meeting to award the development plan to the centre with a cost estimated at about $40,000 and a limit of $50,000.
It will create a plan that addresses legal requirements, maintenance, beach access, sand fencing, species inventory, possibly planting native plants, parking issues, stormwater drainage, and other items.
Maintenance of the beach has been a thorny issue for the Town over the years, with legal issues over beach raking and the endangered piping plover bird habitat. Since then, the Town has been working with provincial agencies to maintain the beach.
Parking has also been an issue, with critisicm of dune cutting proposed by the previous council to make way for parking spaces. It also drew objections from Saugeen Ojibway Nation. There is a boundary claim that is still before the courts with regard to who owns the beach from Main Street to 6th Street North.
Town CAO Bill Jones told council the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation (LHCCC) has developed the Town’s plans in the past. He noted they have the expertise to develop a current plan and a report from Jones says, “Their brand is trusted in Sauble Beach as well as throughout the shores of Lake Huron and beyond.”
The centre for conservation says in a proposal, their plan will draw on foundational work done in their 2004 and 2007 plans. They say they’ll include updated information from more recent studies, plans and field work, as well as account for possible effects of climate change.
The centre says it will examine the dunes along Lakeshore Boulevard North to see if there are impacts from parking along them and make recommendations to reduce negative impacts.
They say their goals are to “To balance human use with the natural attributes that make the beach both attractive for users and a functioning ecosystem,” as well as direct sustainable management and maintenance of the beach, to recognize it is habitat for rare plant and animal species, such as the Piping Plover, to protect and build the resilience of the beach and dunes, to engage in community education and outreach about how the shoreline works and stewardship opportunities.
They plan to collaborate with provincial agencies such as the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Parks, and the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority. They also note there would be discussions with Saugeen Ojibway Nation where required or recommended. They also plan to meet with public stakeholders like Friends of Sauble Beach, the Chamber of Commerce, Birds Canada and others.
The plan is to create an advisory committee with Town staff, provincial agencies and others while the plan is being developed.
The LHCCC will then come up with short and long-term recommendations. It says in a report, it also plans to align with Blue Flag Beach program requirements.
Councillor Caleb Hull noted at the metting, “Developing a comprehensive, science-based beach management plan will be no small task, and I cannot express enough how much of a positive impact this will have on our town.”
The goal is to create the plan between May 2023 and May 2024.