Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program 2008 Enrollment

Welcome to the online enrollment page for the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). In an effort to keep costs down, we are now encouraging online enrollment. We appreciate your cooperation!

Please read the background information and application instructions on this web page before proceeding to our online application. It is preferred that you use this online application to enroll in the CLMP. However, you may download a hardcopy of the application to submit by mail, if you would prefer to use a paper application.

Before enrolling for the CLMP, please be aware of the following:

• All CLMP partners and participating volunteer samplers should be committed to a quality program, which produces quality data. Therefore, any new lake communities or volunteer samplers joining the CLMP need to commit to taking the necessary training and performing all sampling activities exactly as outlined in the provided monitoring procedures.

• Each volunteer sampler must demonstrate that they can collect consistent quality data before they can participate in the more complicated monitoring projects. Consequently, first year lake communities and volunteer samplers may only register for the Secchi disk transparency, spring total phosphorus and summer total phosphorus monitoring projects. After they have demonstrated a proficiency in these projects in following years they may register for chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen/temperature, aquatic plant mapping and any possible pilot projects. They must have experience in and be enrolled in the Secchi disk transparency, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll monitoring projects to register for the dissolved oxygen/temperature or aquatic plant mapping projects.

• The CLMP is open to all lake associations, corporations and individuals. Membership in Michigan Lake & Stream Associations (ML&SA) is not required to participate in the program.

• Except for Secchi disk transparency, all monitoring projects have a limited enrollment because of available equipment or laboratory capacity. Register early to insure your lake community's participation in the monitoring projects in which you are interested.

• Information packets for each of the monitoring parameters, including procedures, field sampling forms, and other important information are available for download by clicking here. If you are unable to download and print this information, you may request on the application form that hard copies be mailed to you.

Application Instructions

Step 1: Waiver of Liability

A Waiver of Liability must be signed by all samplers and mailed to ML&SA prior to any sampling activity.  In this step you will be able to print out this year’s waiver form and must agree to return the signed waiver to ML&SA before your sampling season begins.

Step 2: Lake Enrollment

1. Contact Information:

Please provide your contact information. You may register as either an association (or corporation) or as an individual.

• Contact Person: Many volunteers may participate in sampling for your lake. The Contact Person listed on your application should be the person responsible for coordinating (if not carrying out) all sampling activities, and will receive all of the program communications and the final report. It is very important that a current email address and mailing address is provided for the Contact Person. If the Contact Person for this lake changes, you must notify MiCorps immediately.

• Additional volunteers: Please provide names and email addresses for any additional volunteer samplers that will be helping to monitor this lake.

2. Lake Information

Identify the name of the lake, the site name and field ID number (if known), and location information.

• Site Name: If you have typically referred to this sampling site with a particular name, such as “North Basin”, please include it here.

• Field ID number: Please include the CLMP Lake Sampling Site (Field ID) Number, if known. This 6-digit number was provided to you if you were enrolled in the CLMP last year.

• MLSA ASN: If you do not know your MLSA Associations number, you may leave that line blank.

• If you wish to enroll additional lakes or you wish to enroll additional sites on the same lake, you must apply and pay for those separately. You will be given the option after you submit payment to enroll additional lakes or sites. Please note that there is no extra charge for monitoring additional sites for Secchi Disc transparency. If you want to enroll separately for additional sites, you do not need to pay for more than the primary site.

• Total Phosphorus and Chlorophyll sampling at multiple sites on the same lake is allowed only with prior MiCorps approval. For those lakes pre-approved for for Total Phosphorus and Chlorophyll sampling at multiple sites, separate enrollment and payment are required for each site.

3. Parameter Enrollment

Indicate each of the parameters for which the lake is being enrolled. For more information about each parameter, view the CLMP 2008 – Description of Monitoring Projects. This document provides information about each parameter, including the importance of each parameter, enrollment limits, enrollment deadlines, lake selection process equipment and other needs, and training required.

Please note:

• To enroll in Chlorophyll, you must also enroll for Secchi Disk Transparency and Total Phosphorus, and you must have participated in the CLMP during a prior year.

• To enroll in the Dissolved Oxygen or Aquatic Plant Mapping, you must also enroll in Secchi Disk, Total Phosphorus, and Chlorophyll, and you must have participated in these parameters during a prior year.

• After the first year of Aquatic Plant Mapping, you may enroll for a reduced fee, if you will not need the full support of an aquatic biologist.

• Each parameter has a separate deadline for enrollment. The online application form lists the deadline for enrollment for each parameter.

***Enrollment in each parameter may be limited by equipment availability or staffing constraints. Please review the Fee Carry-Over and Refund Policy.

4. Equipment

If participating in Chlorophyll monitoring for the first time, you must purchase chlorophyll testing equipment, which you will receive at the required training session. In following years sampling and filtering equipment may be reused but replacement filters and vials will be needed. This replacement kit may be mailed to you (for a fee), or picked up at the training session. There is a fee for the replacement kit and an additional charge for mailing the replacement kit.

You may build your own Secchi Disk (instructions will be provided), or purchase one from MLSA. If you choose to purchase one, it can be mailed to you, or picked up at the training session.

Step 3: Payment

You may submit payment online via credit card (preferred) or by mailing a check, money order, or purchase order to MLSA. Click here for more information about our Fee Carry-Over and Refund Policy.

Please note that if you wish to enroll additional lakes or you wish to enroll additional sites on the same lake, you must apply and pay for those separately. You will be given the option after you submit payment to enroll additonal lakes or sites.

If you are ready to register your lake in the CLMP, please proceed to our online application. It is preferred that you use this online application to enroll in the CLMP. However, you may download a hardcopy of the application to submit by mail, if you would prefer to use a paper application.