Coast Watchers
Coast Watchers is a community science monitoring program focused on the health of Lake Huron's shoreline. Volunteers are trained to observe and record shoreline conditions including air and water temperatures, water levels, invasive or sensitive plants, fish die-offs, storm damage and pollution along a designated stretch of coast once a week. This consistent, long-term data helps track conditions and trends over time, guiding future restoration and conservation efforts.
Originally designed and built by the Lake Huron Coastal Centre in Goderich, Ontario, Coast Watchers has engaged community volunteers as the eyes and ears of Lake Huron's coast since 2005. Huron Pines is leading the program on the western shoreline of Lake Huron as part of the Lake Huron Forever initiative, with the goal of using volunteer-collected data to help prioritize restoration efforts along the Northern Michigan coast.
What does being a Coast Watcher look like?
Complete the Coast Watchers training
Choose a section of Lake Huron beach (~100ft) in your area to collect information at once per week, May through October
Report observations and data collection through the Survey123 app or paper data sheet
What are the requirements?
Ability to visit a section of the Lake Huron shoreline once a week from May to October (we are flexible if you can’t monitor the whole time or are going to miss a few weeks)
We will provide you with all of the supplies
Covering the Coast
2025 Coast Watcher Monitoring Locations
This map shows the locations of Coast Watchers volunteers on the east and west shorelines of Lake Huron.
Coast Watchers Annual Reports
