By Stewart A. McFerran
People are drawn to the water. Shoreline communities were once the center of commerce along the shore of West Michigan. Tall ships came and went at the waterfront. Product was “shipped” and received at the dock.
Today, people flock to the shores of the inland lakes and stroll on docks for different reasons. They find themselves close to other lake dwellers. Communities of people have developed where all try to get away from it all. Lake associations have formed and become a force to be reckoned with.
The Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program has been creating community while monitoring and advocating for the lakes since 1974. Volunteers have measured and reported lake conditions to Michigan State University staff and the Michigan DEQ.
The volunteers meet for training with MSU’s Jo Latimore, Ph.D. A key player in the program, she encourages and trains citizen scientists to come together as teams around the water, to protect the water. Last year the training took place at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville. Many of the volunteers have met before – at the waterfront, where issues come into view. Citizens can determine the direction of the science when they raise concerns together.
CLMP is recruiting volunteers to train and continue monitoring lakes in 2021. The program is accepting applications now for next year. It is important work that can make a big difference in the water quality of our lakes. Measures taken can improve fishing and reduce the harmful effects of invasive species. Monitors can be the eyes and ears of experts, who can direct the resources needed to control invasive aquatic plants. A rapid response can sometimes eliminate an unwanted species before it spreads.
Over time, trends can be identified using the measurements taken by CLMP volunteers. These measurements, when grouped together, arranged and analyzed, amount to data that can lead to conclusions. These conclusions can impact the lives of everyone who takes a dip in a Michigan lake.
Bruce Pelletier, a member of the Hamlin Lake Preservation Society, continues to monitor both Upper and Lower Hamlin Lake in Mason County. Since May, he has been taking temperature readings and readings using a tool called a secchi disk. The disk is lowered into the water. When it is no longer visible, the depth is marked. This is a measurement of water clarity at that location and time.
Pelletier has found that the water in Hamlin Lake is clear in the spring, but as summer progresses the algae growth reduces the clarity of the water. The Hamlin Lake crew measures dissolved oxygen and chlorophyll levels which show how much algae are in the water.
He and his crew of six other volunteers not only keep a close eye on the physical parameters of the water but also watch for invasive plants, such as European frog-bit. If volunteers were to identify something like that in the water, they could call MSU Limnologist Erick Elgin or Vicki Sawicki with the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts. Most likely, the volunteers would be asked to send a digital picture of the plant or creature.
Shorelines are the primary habitat area for many birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects and fish. All rely on shallow water and the aquatic and terrestrial vegetation along a lake’s edge to find food and a safe place to rear their young. Healthy shorelines help maintain water quality, limit erosion, and slow and filter rain runoff.
While on the lake, the CLMP volunteers “Score the Shore.” Each 1,000-foot section of the shoreline is evaluated for its ability to host wildlife, as Don Oswell has done on Arcadia Lake. In general, the bushier the shore, the better. Find more about Score the Shore at: https://micorps.net/lake-monitoring/clmp-documents/.
MiCorps partners – including MSU Extension, Michigan Lakes and Streams Association and Huron River Watershed Council – offered a limited volunteer lake monitoring program to fill this year’s funding gap. You can find information on the program here: https://www.hrwc.org/what-we-do/programs/2020-lake-monitoring.
When the 2021 season is eventually announced, all the information will be posted on the MiCorps website: www.micorps.net. Meanwhile, interested potential volunteers can also contact Dr. Jo Latimore (latimor1@msu.edu) or Marcy Knoll Wilmes, Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, (knollm@michigan.gov).
Editor’s note: This story has been updated and corrected from the original version, which appeared in our October 2020 issue.
