Changes are occurring across our Great Lakes at an increasingly accelerated rate and at a more magnified scale than ever recorded. We now face more extreme weather, and coastal communities are forced to endure the brunt of these impacts. 

This Ocean Week, Niagara Coastal is inviting you to join VAST.  VAST stands for Visual Assessment Survey Tool. VAST is a collaborative initiative created by Niagara Coastal in partnership with the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority and Niagara College to substantiate the shifting trends of the Great Lakes’ shorelines with evidence. 

VAST engages coastal citizens, community groups and other local organizations in collecting data to fill knowledge gaps and complement water quality monitoring data for Great Lakes shorelines. Community involvement through citizen science fosters a deeper connection to the coast and improves coastal literacy by exposing participants to these rapid changes. This is made even more by the fact that we are all connected to the ocean by our the Great Lakes’ ever-flowing lakes, rivers, and wetlands.  Citizen scientists complete surveys and submit standardized photos to capture changes to the coasts over time. Duplicating VAST photos over time makes changes to the shoreline more apparent, enhancing decision-making power for coastal residents and managers.

Visit the site and join VAST for Ocean Week, and keep contributing until the fall.