Guest Blog by: Erick Elgin, Aquatic Ecologist, MSU Extension Starry stonewort has emerged as one of the most dreaded aquatic invasive plants in Michigan. This aggressive macroalgae can produce dense “meadows” that fill the water column, which hinders recreation and may have wide-reaching impacts on lake ecosystems. However, despite being in North America for 40… Read More
Lakes
Guest Blog by: Mike Gallagher, President, Michigan Lake Stewardship Associations, and Gull Lake Quality Organization Way back in 2006, the Gull Lake association board of directors sat around the table and once again discussed the same old questions: “How do we know if our lake quality is getting better or worse? How can we monitor… Read More
Guest Blog by: Dr. Jo Latimore, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University The term “citizen science” is used a lot these days. In the past few years, it has evolved from the latest “new” idea, to a popular buzzword, to an everyday phrase. Many of us involved with volunteer lake and stream monitoring… Read More
Guest Blog by: Chelsea Cooper, Water Quality Monitoring Intern, Manistee Conservation District Editor’s Note: This blog post is one example of how MiCorps is facilitating partnerships between local, state, and federal organizations to grow lake and stream monitoring efforts in Michigan. In the spring of 2016, the Manistee Conservation District (MCD) began to take action… Read More
Guest Blog by: Niklas Krantz, Senior at Wayne State University and 2018 HRWC Summer Intern Acknowledgement: This blog was first posted at www.hrwc.org on September 18 and is being reposted with permission. Starry stonewort. If you are a lakefront property owner somewhere downstream of the St. Lawrence Seaway, you may have heard the name at… Read More
Guest Blog by: Dr. Jo Latimore, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, and Alicia Symanski, Northwestern Michigan College Register today for the 2018 Joint MiCorps Conference/Michigan Inland Lakes Convention This year, MiCorps is joining together with the Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership to offer a conference event that combines the best of each program!… Read More
How can we prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species? Most of Michigan’s rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, shorelines and wetlands provide hospitable habitat for native and invasive species alike. Aquatic invasive species are costly to control once they’re in a waterbody and have established reproducing populations. Invasive species disrupt food webs, foul infrastructure and recreational… Read More
MiCorps was created in 2003 to assist the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. It is comprised of two programs: the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program (VSMP) and the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). With support from MiCorps staff, volunteers participating… Read More
Do you get annoyed with those weeds in your lake? Do you wish there was an easy way to rid your entire lakefront of those pesky weeds just to make your life easier? Before you take any action, there is a side to the story that you might not have thought about. Those “weeds” are… Read More
Thanks to generous funding from the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, in 2018 Oakland County lakes can join the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) for free (introductory monitoring) or for a reduced cost (advanced monitoring). Volunteers in Oakland County will be credited $185 to enroll a lake into the program. (A lake is enrolled into… Read More
