DNR looking for volunteers to monitor water quality on inland lakes

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is looking for volunteers to help monitor water quality and fish habitats across the state.

Volunteers will take part in the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program.

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“This community science program is seeking volunteers who enjoy and want to help protect Michigan’s nearly 11,000 inland lakes,” the agency said in a news release. “There is a lot we don’t know about many of our lakes, and volunteering with MiCorps will connect you with a statewide network of people who are making a positive impact on these waters.”

Volunteers can choose which lake they want to cover and can even decide which measurements they are willing to take, from water quality to monitoring for invasive species, native plants and shoreline conditions.

The program provides detailed instructions, training and the equipment. There is a small fee to cover the cost of supplies, but the DNR says volunteers often collaborate with local lake associations to handle those costs.

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“All volunteer-gathered information is added to the MiCorps Data Exchange, a public database that includes 50 years’ worth of program lake data,” the DNR stated. “This database is used by people, local communities and state agencies like the MDNR to better protect and manage our beautiful lakes and the fish and wildlife that rely on them.”

More information is available at the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program website.

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