Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Survey Grant Projects

Watershed(s): Rush Creek
Funding Amount: $13,838
Project Duration: 2017-2019 (project completed)

The Jamestown Charter Township, in partnership with the Trinity Christian Reformed Church, seeks to monitor macroinvertebrate and habitat conditions in Rush Creek, a tributary to the Grand River in eastern Ottawa County, while partnering with high schools and local residents to educate community members on the importance of the creek and identifying problem areas to address within the watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Muskegon River
Funding Amount: $13,132
Project Duration: 2017-2019 (project completed)

The Muskegon River Watershed Assembly seeks to add additional macroinvertebrate and habitat assessment monitoring sites along the Bear, Sand, Brooks, Cedar, and Tamarack Creeks within the Muskegon River watershed, with the goals of educating Muskegon River watershed residents on ways to monitor, protect, and improve water quality; documenting changes in stream conditions over time; and determining problem areas where best management practices can be used to address nonpoint source pollution.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Upper Muskegon River, Manistee River
Funding Amount: $13,925
Project Duration: 2017-2019 (project completed)

The Missaukee Conservation District seeks to monitor macroinvertebrate populations and stream habitat conditions at sites in the Upper Muskegon River and Manistee River watersheds, including Mosquito Creek, Muskegon River, Clam River, Hopkins Creek, and the Manistee River, while also raising awareness about water quality; promoting stewardship among the citizens of Missaukee County; and identifying problem areas where degradation has occurred and best management practices or remediation may be implemented.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Rocky River, Prairie River, and Portage River
Funding Amount: $8,725
Project Duration: 2016-2018 (project completed)

The St. Joseph County Conservation District seeks to monitor macroinvertebrate and habitat conditions at 10 sites in the Rocky River, Prairie River, and Portage River watersheds in St. Joseph County, while educating residents about water quality and the importance of healthy habitat; generating useful data for the District, DEQ, and other partners; engaging groups and individuals in hands-on water monitoring activities; and recruiting and training volunteers for future efforts.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Manistee River
Funding Amount: $10,822.26
Project Duration: 2016-2018 (project completed)

The Manistee Conservation District seeks to monitor macroinvertebrate populations and stream habitat conditions at nine sites in the lower portion of the Manistee River watershed, including the subwatersheds of the Big Manistee River, Bear Creek, and the Little Manistee River, which are being targeted due to their coldwater fisheries habitat values, public accessibility, and their relation to current conservation goals of local watershed groups.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Red Cedar River
Funding Amount: $4,816
Project Duration: 2016-2018 (project completed)

The Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council seeks to add additional macroinvertebrate and habitat assessment monitoring sites within the Red Cedar watershed in Ingham County, with the goals of improving water quality and habitat in the Red Cedar River, educating mid-Michigan residents on the value of stream monitoring, obtaining data to be used in watershed planning, and engaging volunteers in hands-on monitoring activities.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Cedar River, Middle and Upper Grand River
Funding Amount: $12,000
Project Duration: 2015-2017 (project completed)

The Ingham Conservation District seeks to expand its monitoring program to add 12 new sites in previously unsampled tributaries of the Red Cedar River watershed and parts of the Middle and Upper Grand River watersheds.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Cedar River
Funding Amount: $10,000
Project Duration: 2015-2017 (project completed)

The Little Forks Conservancy seeks to expand its monitoring program to add six new sites in the Cedar River watershed, a sub-watershed of the Tittabawassee River watershed, located in Gladwin and Clare counties, as well as develop a sustainable monitoring plan and strengthen collaboration among area conservation groups.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Paw Paw River, Black River
Funding Amount: $11,000
Project Duration: 2015-2017 (project completed)

The Van Buren Conservation District seeks to expand its monitoring program to add six to eight new sites in the Paw Paw River and Black River watersheds in Van Buren County while educating residents about water quality and the importance of healthy habitat.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Shiawassee River
Funding Amount: $8,500
Project Duration: 2015-2017 (project completed)

The Friends of the Shiawassee River seeks to expand its monitoring program to add six new sites within the Shiawassee River watershed and to collect baseline data to build a long-term dataset on the health of the river while engaging community organizations, local governments and residents on the importance of water quality.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Grand Traverse Bay
Funding Amount: $8,500
Project Duration: 2015-2017 (project completed)

The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay seeks to expand its monitoring program to add 12 new sites within the Grand Traverse Bay watershed. This project will help track stream trends and detect early changes to the stream system while raising awareness and providing information to the public by giving presentations and creating educational materials.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Upper Manistee River
Funding Amount: $11,651
Project Duration: 2014-2016 (project completed)

The Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies sought to monitor macroinvertebrate populations and stream conditions at nine sites in the Upper Manistee River Watershed, while educating residents on water quality and protection. Data collected was to be used to identify degraded areas within the watershed where best management practices (BMPs) can be implemented.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Coldwater River
Funding Amount: $11,623
Project Duration: 2014-2016 (project closed out)

The Timberland RC&D Area Council sought to monitor macroinvertebrate and habitat conditions at seven sites in the Coldwater River and its tributaries, including Tyler and Duck Creek and Messer Brook. The long-term dataset was to be used to benchmark changing conditions in the streams and to develop recommendations for long-term protection and enhancement of the river and its tributaries.

Project Closed Out Before Completion

Watershed(s): Escanaba River
Funding Amount: $11,220.45
Project Duration: 2014-2016 (project completed)

The Marquette County Conservation District sought to generate water quality data and to foster stewardship in local citizens and partners through macroinvertebrate monitoring at eight sites along the Escanaba River, a coldwater trout stream that suffers from sediment deposition from degraded road-stream crossings.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Upper Grand River
Funding Amount: $7,950
Project Duration: 2014-2016 (project completed)

The Jackson County Conservation District sought to expand their Adopt-a-Stream program to monitor macroinvertebrate populations at ten new sites within the Upper Grand River watershed and to recruit new volunteers to the program. The District will use volunteer engagement to educate the public on water quality issues within the Jackson Urbanized Area and the Upper Grand River watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Anna River, Slapneck Creek, Bohemian Creek, Baker Creek, Werner Creek, Dexter Creek
Funding Amount: $14,083
Project Duration: 2013-2015 (project completed)

The Alger Conservation District monitored benthic macroinvertebrates and habitat on six small waterbodies in the central Upper Peninsula, while educating and instilling stewardship in the population and collecting monitoring data that can be made available to local governments and stakeholders.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Kalamazoo River, Wilder Creek, tributaries to Buckthorn Lake, and Willow Creek
Funding Amount: $14,083
Project Duration: 2013-2015 (project completed)

The Calhoun Conservation District monitored benthic macroinvertebrates and habitat at eleven locations in the Kalamazoo River watershed, including Wilder Creek, tributaries to Buckthorn Lake, and the Willow Creek watershed, to collect data that can be used to assess the health of the stream habitat and aquatic macroinvertebrate population.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): White River, including Cobmoosa Creek, Carlton Creek, and the Main Branch
Funding Amount: $10,463
Project Duration: 2013-2015 (project completed)

The Muskegon Conservation District, in partnership with the White River Watershed Partnership, studied benthic macroinvertebrates and habitat at eleven locations in the White River watershed in Oceana County, including Cobmoosa Creek, Carlton Creek, and the Main Branch; engaged stakeholders and elected officials in stream monitoring to advance environmental protection and the health of the watershed; and worked to identify where there is need for remedial action.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Grass River
Funding Amount: $9,411
Project Duration: 2013-2015 (project completed)

The Grass River Natural Area studied benthic macroinvertebrates and habitat throughout the Grass River Natural Area and its feeding tributaries in Antrim County between Lake Bellaire and Clam Lake, including high-quality wetlands and important ecosystems with surface water input into Grand Traverse Bay.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Macatawa
Funding Amount: $12,236.46
Project Duration: 2012-2014 (project completed)

The Macatawa Area Coordinating Council established a long-term volunteer stream monitoring program to assess water quality trends over time in the Macatawa Watershed. The Council will continue its training and water quality data collection with volunteers at their seven established stream locations to assess the effects of sedimentation, flashiness, temperature extremes, and excessive nutrients on macroinvertebrates and stream habitat. With this project, the Council hopes to achieve a solid stream quality data set for the Macatawa Watershed and establish a long-term local volunteer effort to protect and manage water resources in their watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Kalamazoo River
Funding Amount: $11,997
Project Duration: 2012-2014 (project completed)

The primary goals of the project were to establish a volunteer water quality monitoring program that will connect students and citizens of Kalamazoo with the Kalamazoo River Watershed. This project also helped educate the public about local water issues and created a greater number of committed clean water stewards. The Kalamazoo Nature Center hopes to reach new community members each year to continually grow the number of citizens interested in the health of their watershed while improving and alleviating human impacts. Volunteers will monitor seven sites that will cover a diverse habitat spectrum in both rural and urban settings and assist in tracking improvements or pollution that may exist.

• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Betsie River, Platte River, Herring Lakes
Funding Amount: $11,871
Project Duration: 2012-2014 (project completed)

The Benzie Conservation District continued its leading role in the critical job of monitoring and protecting its precious water resources by educating and engaging Benzie County residents in monitoring activities, while giving them a greater sense of stewardship. Specifically, volunteers monitored stream health in the three major watersheds of Benzie County, established baseline conditions, and monitored deterioration or improvements over time. The District also worked to identify or verify problem areas where degradation has occurred and remediation or best management practices can be implemented.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Salmon-Trout River
Funding Amount: $7,465.50
Project Duration: 2012-2014 (project completed)

The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve utilized this project to initiate a local volunteer monitoring project to generate data for the Salmon-Trout River in the Upper Peninsula that can be used to address environmental issues that are important to the community and to the State of Michigan. By establishing a trained monitoring team, the aquatic resources and the community will have better capacity to mitigate negative impacts from point and non-point sources of contaminants. The YDWP also worked to increase awareness about the project and engage the community, generate high quality data from eight sites along the watershed that can be added to the existing baseline data, and reduce potential impacts for contaminants through informed decision making.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Bear Creek
Funding Amount: $13,556.81
Project Duration: 2011-2013 (project completed)

Cannon Township worked to address macroinvertebrate stream health on Bear Creek for the purpose of comparing it to similar studies done in the early 1990s and to track any changes that may occur in the future related to increased development. Cannon Township and its volunteers sampled benthic macroinvertebrates and conducted a habitat survey at five sites on Bear Creek from Fall 2011 through Spring 2013. Grant funds assisted with the cost of implementing the volunteer-based stream study program.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Maple and Sturgeon River Watersheds
Funding Amount: $9,351.66
Project Duration: 2011-2013 (project completed)

The overall goal of this project was to protect the water quality and aquatic ecosystem integrity of the Maple and Sturgeon Rivers through biological monitoring of aquatic macroinvertebrate populations. The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Volunteer Stream Monitoring program was expanded to include four additional sites on each of these rivers, which will assist in the collection of baseline water quality data to assess impacts from known stressors, as well as continued monitoring to detect additional problems that emerge in these river systems. Monitoring also included macroinvertebrate collection identified to the family level and habitat assessment.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Presque Isle and Black River Watersheds
Funding Amount: $8,975
Project Duration: 2011-2013 (project closed out)

This project was intended to provide an opportunity for the Gogebic Conservation District to initiate a program to collect meaningful data on habitat and macroinvertebrates in the Presque Isle Watershed (specifically the Black River and tributaries). The data collected was intended to enable regulatory agencies to make informed decisions when considering watershed management practices; create a baseline; track significant changes; and prioritize stream projects accordingly. In total, seven sites were to be monitored: six on Black River tributaries and one on the Black River main branch.

Project Closed Out Before Completion

Watershed(s): Clinton River Watershed
Funding Amount: $1,350
Project Duration: 2011-2013 (project completed)

The overall goal of this project was to add to the Clinton River Watershed Council’s current efforts to develop and maintain a long term assessment of stream health, and increase stewardship and awareness of our freshwater resources throughout our local communities. Project funding supported the addition of six new monitoring locations to their existing Adopt-A-Stream program to gather information about stream habitat and macroinvertebrate communities, and enabled CRWC to recruit local civic and conservation groups to help monitor in the Clinton River Watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Kalamazoo, Rogue, AuSable, and Pilgrim River Watersheds
Funding Amount: $17,562
Project Duration: 2010-2012 (project completed)

The overall goal of this project was to monitor the health of coldwater streams in Michigan by establishing baseline data and then monitoring the streams for changes. Monitoring involved 14 sites in the Kalamazoo, Rogue, Au Sable, and Pilgrim River watersheds and included habitat and macroinvertebrate assessments. Both negative and positive impacts will be portrayed in the data, reflecting effects of agriculture, CAFO’s, development, stream improvement projects, and the implementation of best management practices. In addition, MITU developed a coldwater database which will include MiCorps data and data from other MITU monitoring efforts.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Coldwater River
Funding Amount: $15,403.81
Project Duration: 2010-2012 (project completed)

Ten sites were monitored within the Hodunk-Messenger Chain of Lakes watershed, a subwatershed of the Coldwater River, to document the extent and locations of possible threats and impairments in the watershed, establish a baseline for quantifying changes, and foster a stewardship ethic among watershed residents. The health of the Coldwater River watershed is a vital concern to all watershed stakeholders and partner organizations. Results from the proposed study will serve to inform the community and leverage further efforts to protect the watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Flint River
Funding Amount: $10,111.55
Project Duration: 2010-2012 (project completed)

The ultimate goal of the MiCorps Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant was to expand and strengthen the monitoring program to the point that comprehensive stream habitat data for the Flint River Watershed may be adequately collected. Funding was utilized to strengthen the Coalition’s existing program and to coordinate monitoring at more than 30 sites within the Flint River watershed to track the long-term health of the system.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Clinton River
Funding Amount: $1,995
Project Duration: 2009-2011 (project completed)

Data collected from three new sites was added to the Clinton River Watershed Council’s (CRWC) existing Adopt-a-Stream program efforts to develop and maintain a long-term assessment of stream health throughout the watershed. The North Branch historically had not received much attention from CRWC’s Adopt-a-Stream program due to limited funding and lack of volunteers. With project funding, these site establishments helped to further the measurable data and allowed for a more detailed assessment of the overall condition of the watershed, including identification of macroinvertebrates to the Family level.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Upper Grand River
Funding Amount: $20,979
Project Duration: 2009-2011 (project completed)

The Upper Grand River Watershed Adopt-A-Stream Program, initiated in 2007, began as a partnership among the Jackson County Conservation District, Dahlem Environmental Education Center , and Upper Grand River Watershed Alliance. The Adopt-A-Stream Program helps achieve the public education and involvement goals of the Jackson Phase II communities and the Upper Grand River Watershed Management Plan by using trained adult volunteers to collect and identify benthic macroinvertebrates, conduct stream habitat assessments, and take other water quality measurements following the methods outlined in the MDEQ-approved Quality Assurance Project Plan. With funding under this grant, the partner organizations worked to further develop and strengthen the Upper Grand River Watershed Adopt-A-Stream program into a sustainable and watershed-wide monitoring program.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Duck Creek
Funding Amount: $6,231.24
Project Duration: 2009-2011 (project completed)

The 11,500-acre Duck Creek watershed lies entirely within Muskegon County and is the only watershed in the county that is designated a high-quality watershed with no TMDL listing. However, preliminary monitoring has shown an increase in water temperature and sedimentation; increases in nutrients, nuisance algal blooms, and occurrences of exotic species; and general degradation of fish and wildlife habitat. The Muskegon Conservation District and Duck Creek Watershed Assembly are striving to halt this decline and avoid an eventual TMDL listing. With this project, the  team worked to identify the sources and proactively address the causes of these preliminary findings in an effort to preempt any major water quality issues and the associated costs (and inherent inadequacies) of mitigation.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Millecoquins River
Funding Amount: $9,288
Project Duration: 2009-2011 (project completed)

The Millecoquins River watershed has experienced impacts from historic and recent land uses such as logging, agriculture (cattle), and increasing development and recreational pressures. Recent evaluations of tributaries of the Millecoquins River watershed by the Michigan DEQ indicate increasing water temperatures and changes in the fish community to more of a warm water fishery rather than a coldwater fishery as they are designated. In addition, changes have also been observed by local landowners. Goals of the project included fostering landowner and citizen awareness, stewardship and surveillance of the watershed; producing quality-assured data that can be used by DEQ biologists as a screening tool; making results available to interested parties; and utilizing these data to document water quality changes over time and existing and potential sources of impact.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): St. Clair River watershed
Funding Amount: $13,297
Project Duration: 2008-2010 (project completed)

The Friends of the St. Clair River Watershed worked to assess habitat and conduct macroinvertebrate monitoring in the St. Clair River Watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Shiawassee River watershed
Funding Amount: $13,297
Project Duration: 2008-2010 (project completed)

The Nature Conservancy worked in partnership with the Livingston County Drain Commissioner’s Office to assess habitat and conduct macroinvertebrate monitoring in the Shiawassee River watershed in Shiawassee and Livingston Counties.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Pine River/Van Etten Lake watershed
Funding Amount: $7,420
Project Duration: 2008-2010 (project completed)

The overall goal of this project was to establish baseline benthic macroinvertebrate data and to monitor the health of the watershed going forward. It is desired to ensure that the river and associated feeder streams do not significantly degrade further in their ability to sustain a cold water fishery. This project helped to show potential changes in the stream condition, as told through the macroinvertebrate populations.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Upper Au Sable River Watershed
Funding Amount: $13,297
Project Duration: 2008-2010 (project completed)

The primary goal of this project was to produce quality-assured data on the water quality of the watershed to establish baseline data for the Au Sable River. Specifically, site monitoring included benthic macroinvertebrate specimen collection and identification to the family level, habitat assessment, and the monitoring of dissolved oxygen and pH levels. Success of this project was be measured by the production of verifiable data that is of use to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and others who make stewardship decisions within the Au Sable River watershed.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Wayne, Oakland, and Washtenaw counties.
Funding Amount: $14,548
Project Duration: 2007-2009 (project completed)

The goal of Friends of the Rouge’s (FOTR) Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program was to collect information on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in Rouge headwater streams to screen for problems and track the effect of streambank stabilization projects over time. Additionally, FOTR sought to increase public awareness of Rouge water quality issues to build support for corrective actions. Through this grant period, FOTR increased the number of trained team leaders and to improve sampling methods.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Thunder Bay River, Platte River, Grand River, Muskegon River
Funding Amount: $11,504.00
Project Duration: 2007-2009 (project completed)

The Michigan Lake and Stream Associations, Inc. (MLSA) received funding to collect biological, habitat, and water quality data for streams entering and leaving lakes monitored in the existing Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program, another MiCorps volunteer program. MLSA established a new program to monitor inlet and outlet streams from selected associated lakes and established macroinvertebrate and habitat monitoring along with stream discharge and nutrient sampling. They proposed to begin the program around 14 lakes in four watersheds – a total of 56 monitoring sites.

• Final Report
• Project Factsheet

Watershed(s): River Raisin Watershed
Funding Amount: $14,913
Project Duration: 2007-2009 (project completed)

The River Raisin Watershed Council expanded and improved their Adopt-A-Stream program on the River Raisin in Lenawee, Washtenaw, Monroe, and Jackson counties, including improved data interpretation, volunteer recruitment, and educational programs.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Upper Dead River and Anna River watersheds
Funding Amount: $13,901
Project Duration: 2007-2009 (project completed)

The Upper Peninsula RC&D started a new program to monitor a total of seven sites across the Upper Dead River and Anna River watersheds. The Council worked with existing non-point source programs to recruit volunteers for macroinvertebrate, bottom habitat and basic chemistry monitoring.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Thornapple River
Funding Amount: $8,345.50
Project Duration: 2006-2008 (project completed)

This project included monitoring of 21 sites on 15 waterbodies in the Thornapple watershed. These data will be used to identify potentially critical areas in the Thornapple River Watershed and determine locations where remedial actions will have the most beneficial effects. In addition, the project was intended to increase public awareness and involvement in watershed and water quality issues and establish a trained and committed network of volunteers to conduct an annual monitoring program beyond the scope of the proposed project.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Clinton River
Funding Amount: $5,500.00
Project Duration: 2006-2008 (project completed)

The Clinton River Watershed Council (CRWC) proposed to significantly expand monitoring coverage provided by the council’s Adopt-A-Stream program, and incorporate MiCorps standard protocols and quality assurance into its program. CRWC identified 27 sites for monitoring and planned to expand the number of sites to at least 50 by 2007. Twenty-five of these sites were monitored at least once during a pilot program in 2005.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Glen Lake/Crystal River Watershed
Funding Amount: $6,474.00
Project Duration: 2006-2008 (project completed)

The Hatlem Creek Benthic Invertebrate Monitoring Program consisted of monitoring the macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance in Hatlem Creek, the main tributary to Glen Lake ( Leelanau County), and measuring basic water quality parameters to better understand the status of the tributary and its impact on the water quality of the lake and its fish and other wildlife.

• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Red Cedar River
Funding Amount: $9,311.00
Project Duration: 2006-2008 (project completed)

Project funding allowed Mid-MEAC to continue its volunteer monitoring of macroinvertebrate populations and aquatic habitat at eight sites along the Red Cedar River and nearby waters that began in 2002. Results will help Mid-MEAC develop a long-term record of change at sites, to evaluate remediation efforts underway, and to raise awareness of water quality issues in the area.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Menominee River Watershed
Funding Amount: $18,426.00
Project Duration : 2006-2008 (project completed)

The Sierra Club Mackinac Chapter received funding to expand monitoring efforts under its Michigan Sulfide Ore Mining Project into Menominee County. The purpose of the project was to document current and future water quality conditions at a minimum of ten sites along the Menominee River and tributaries (in the western Upper Peninsula) in an area of current and planned sulfide mining.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Muskegon River and Tributaries
Funding Amount: $8,198
Project Duration : 2005-2007 (project completed)

The overall goal of this project was to incite citizen interest in water quality issues by training them to collect and record water monitoring data that will indicate the healthiness of the streams and rivers in the Muskegon River Watershed. A secondary goal was the provision of water monitoring data to assist the MRWA, local government officials and other organizations in their protective and restorative projects and to develop better ordinances.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Mullett Lake, Torch Lake, and Lake Charlevoix Tributaries
Funding Amount: $12,104
Project Duration : 2005-2007 (project completed)

The goal of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council’s Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program was to protect and improve the water quality of the streams of the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The specific objectives included: collecting baseline data, characterizing stream ecosystems, identifying specific water quality problems, determining water quality trends, and informing and educating the public regarding water quality issues and aquatic ecology.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet

Watershed(s): Grand Traverse Bay Tributaries
Funding Amount: $7,687.20
Project Duration: 2005-2007 (project completed)

The main goal of the Grand Traverse Stream Search project was to continue to implement The Watershed Center’s (TWC) Stream Search volunteer monitoring program. Stream Search, launched in June 2003, is TWC’s bi-annual monitoring program which consists of groups of volunteers, led by a trained team leader, that are assigned to area streams to sample macroinvertebrates and complete habitat assessments in the spring and fall of each year.

In addition to providing valuable water quality data where TWC can track and detect early changes to a stream system, Stream Search serves as an important educational tool. Stream Search will also help to increase interest and awareness of watershed issues and stewardship of the resource among area residents and visitors.

• Final Report
• Project Fact Sheet