If you think volunteer-collected data is not a big part of national lake water quality monitoring, think again! A newly released lake water quality database contains geographic data on over 50,000 US lakes, and water quality data on about 10,000 of those lakes — most of which come from citizen volunteer programs, including the MiCorps… Read More
Lakes » Page 2
MiCorps volunteers have been monitoring water quality for over 13 years. What a great opportunity to look at the coverage across the Great State of Michigan! Take a look at this map showing all 458 lakes surveyed under the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program and the 57 stream groups that were awarded grants under the Volunteer… Read More
What will you do to protect your lake this year? Invasive plants like starry stonewort and Eurasian watermilfoil are sneaky attackers, lurking beneath the water’s surface and growing unnoticed until they have infested acres of a lake. Given the opportunity to establish themselves, these weeds are nearly impossible to eradicate, cost thousands of dollars annually… Read More
Starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa) is an aggressive aquatic invasive macroalgae that can be found anchored to the bottom of lakes and resembles common aquatic plants. In the right conditions, it can produce dense “meadows” that cover large areas of a lake basin, causing tangled mats and hindering recreation, fish habitat, and beneficial native plants. Starry… Read More
Over the hill! The Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) has been operating since 1974 (when it was called the “Self-Help Program”). Every summer since then, with the exception of 1992 when the program was undergoing some administrative changes, volunteers have been measuring and monitoring lakes across Michigan. That means last summer we hit the big 4-0!… Read More
Are invasive plants threatening your lake? Watch this video and join the Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch (EAPW) to find out! Invasive aquatic plants can be bad news for your lake, as high densities of these unwanted species can negatively affect fish populations and reduce recreational use. MiCorps staff have created this short video, which introduces and… Read More
It’s going to be a great year for the CLMP’s Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch! The Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch (EAPW) is a component of the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) where volunteers sample, identify, and map aquatic invasive plants in their lake. The EAPW is vital to the effort to locate and minimize the detrimental… Read More
December 21, 2015
In case you missed it: Michigan State University Extension article features MiCorps Bindu Bhakta, a Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Educator in Oakland County, recently published an article for MSU Extension News discussing the technical assistance, training, and grants offered by MiCorps to support volunteer monitoring efforts across the state. We are excited to be… Read More
Water Quality Monitoring Requests – Background on the Process and How to Submit a Request Join Michigan DEQ for a webinar on Nov 05, 2015 at 2:00 PM EST. Register now! https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2949681104124669441 This webinar will focus on the process through which people can submit requests to have Michigan DEQ Water Resources Division (WRD) consider conducting… Read More
