Michigan Clean Water Corps
Annual Conference

Fourth Annual Conference Proceedings

The fourth annual Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) conference was held October 20-21, 2008 at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center in Higgins Lake, Michigan. The conference featured presentations from volunteers from across the state of Michigan. We celebrated the amazing work that is being done by the MiCorps volunteers to protect Michigan 's lakes and streams. In addition, the conference included presentations and training from regional experts, MiCorps staff and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Linda Green, University of Rhode Island (URI) Cooperative Extension, was the keynote speaker. Linda is a nationally-recognized leader and educator who has worked in the area of volunteer monitoring for over 20 years. Her presentation was very well received and was an inspiritation to many attendees.

An optional training session on Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Search and Identification was offered on Monday.

Conference Program and Other Documents

Conference Program

Conference Attendees

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Search and Identification Workshop

Introduction to Volunteer-based Stream Monitoring- Aquatic Macroinvertebrates
Paul Steen, Ph.D., Huron River Watershed Council

Advanced Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Identification
Graham Lewis, Huron River Watershed Council volunteer

Conference Presentations

Plenary Session

Keynote: The Ripple Effect of Volunteer Monitoring
Linda Green, USDA-CSREES Extension Volunteer Monitoring Network

Overview of the MiCorps Program
Ric Lawson, MiCorps Support Staff

An introduction and overview of the MiCorps program and its work and accomplishments during the program's third year.

The State of Michigan's Surface Water Monitoring Program
Ralph Bednarz, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

An overview of Michigan's Surface Water Monitoring Program, including the program's structure and goals and how staff use volunteer monitoring data, as well as a discussion of trends in water quality in Michigan's lakes and rivers.

Introductions and Sharing our Stories
Joan Martin, Huron River Watershed Council

No Presentation Available.

Breakout Session 1: How to Analyze and Use Volunteer Collected Data

River Raisin Stream Invertebrate Results 2002-2008
Jim Martin Ph.D., Director of the River Raisin Watershed Council Adopt-A-Stream Program and Associate Professor, Adrian College

Data Analysis Examples from the Huron River Watershedw
Paul Steen, Ph.D., Huron River Watershed Council

Relative Importance of Zebra Mussels Invasion and Phosphorus on Concentrations of the Natural Toxin, Microcystin, in Michigan
Orlando Sarnelle, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University

Breakout Session 2: How to Start and Grow a Program

Patrick Ertel, Huron Pines
Kevin Cronk, Tip of the Mitt
Linda Green, USDA-CSREES Extension Volunteer Monitoring Network
Moderator: Joan Martin, Huron River Watershed Council

This was a panel session with no presentations

Jean Roth, Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (Presentation | Notes )
Sally Petrella, Friends of the Rouge
John Hayes, Glen Lake Association, Inc.
Moderator: Joan Martin, Huron River Watershed Council

Asking for Money and Telling your Story
Margaret Smith, Development Director, Huron River Watershed Council

Acquire some basic knowledge about fundraising and marketing to help you raise more money for your cause and tell more people about your work. For starters, we will discuss the three most important things you need to know about both asking for money and telling your story. The session will end with a divine chocolate tasting for all participants.

Contacts for More Information

For more information on the MiCorps program or conference, contact Laura Kaminski, MiCorps staff, Great Lakes Commission, 734-971-9135, laurak@glc.org.