Next year, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners and Health Division will partner with the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) to provide Oakland County residents with free training and equipment to monitor lake water quality this summer through the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP).
“We are excited to partner with the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program to provide residents with valuable resources to monitor the health of our lakes,” said Board Chairman Michael J. Gingell. “Together we can help preserve and protect hundreds of lakes across Oakland County for generations to come.”
The CLMP has been an important component of Michigan’s inland lakes monitoring program for over 40 years, making it the second oldest volunteer monitoring program for lakes in the country. From mid-May through mid-September, volunteers will take weekly samples and conduct a survey of aquatic invasive plants. Volunteers must have access to a boat.
“Water is one of Michigan's greatest resources,” said Commissioner Marcia Gershenson. “This program will help reassure residents that our lakes are safe places to swim and fish.”
“Lakes face many environmental challenges, from stinky and unsightly algae blooms to invasive plants that crowd out fish and native plants and stop us from boating and swimming,” said Paul Steen from MiCorps. “The first step in maintaining good water quality is collecting scientific data to forecast problems before they are too big to stop.
There are not enough professional scientists to do this job. We need volunteers to play an active role in fighting to protect our lakes.”
Interested residents are encouraged to attend one of two informational sessions in February 2018 and should attend the required training in May 2018. The meetings will be held in the Commissioners Auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 14E in Pontiac.
The meetings are scheduled as follows:
Informational Sessions
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 7 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24, 10 to 11 a.m.
Required Training Session
Saturday, May 5, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“This is a win-win for protecting Oakland County's lakes,” said Commissioner Dave Woodward. “I'm proud to have led the effort to launch this new environmental initiative to monitor, test and protect our numerous lakes – not just for today, but for long into the future. We all have a responsibility to protect our lakes and water.”
For questions about the informational sessions or to register for training, email Paul Steen at psteen@hrwc.org or call 734-769-5123 x601. For additional information about the CLMP, visit www.micorps.net/lake-monitoring or call 989-257-3715.
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