Lake St. Clair Coastal Conservation Action Plan

(completed August 2013)

The Lake St. Clair Coastal Conservation Action Plan (CAP) area covers 47790.45 ha (477.9 km2) of land along the eastern shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Wetlands are the dominant ecosystem in the Lake St. Clair Coastal CAP area, but prairie habitats of high conservation value also occur. The Lake St. Clair Coastal CAP is situated in one of the southernmost portions of Canada and is home to a remarkable diversity of southern flora and fauna. A total of at least 180 species of breeding birds, 23 reptiles, 14 amphibians, 36 mammals, nearly 90 butterflies and more than 1100 vascular plants have been recorded in the municipality of Chatham-Kent. The CAP area provides habitat for at least 14 extant terrestrial and aquatic Species at Risk (SAR), with another 15 SAR having occurred historically. Several globally and provincially rare ecological communities also occur (e.g. Moist - Fresh Tallgrass Prairie Type, Dry Tallgrass Prairie Type).