Coastal shorelines ‘More than just a pretty beach’

Gardeners and beach enthusiasts are welcome to discover the often overlooked magic along the Coastal shorelines, as the Sunshine Coast Conservation Society (SCCA) presents More Than Just a Pretty Beach: Marine Shorelines as Critical Habitats at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, at the Arts Centre (Trail and Medusa, Sechelt). Tapping into the expertise of Dianne Sanford of Friends of Forage Fish, the evening offers an opportunity to learn more about sensitive shoreline habitats, including spawning beaches and eel grass beds, and their importance to forage fish (herring, anchovy, sand lance, surf smelt and others that are prey for the hundreds of species that rely on them.)

This presentation is particularly timely and a must-attend for gardeners and seaweed harvesters, as February and March are Herring spawn months. Herring eggs are often anchored to seaweed, so collecting seaweed during the upcoming months is heavily discouraged. All year around, seaweed also provides habitat to amphipods. The SCCA reminds gardeners that anyone using seaweed as a garden mulch should take as little as possible and harvest only small amounts over a large area. Better yet:  consider sawdust or grass clippings as a mulching alternative.

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