Focus on Ralph Vogel, volunteer from Corey Lake

Ralph Vogel, on Corey Lake in St. Joseph County, has been collecting lake data for 35 years through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s volunteer-based Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). Ralph was one of the original lake monitors back in 1974 when the CLMP program was called the “Self-Help Program.” Ralph, Don Winne (executive director emeritus of Michigan Lake and Stream Associations), and the other members of the Corey Lake Association had always been very active in protecting the lake, and joined the Self-Help program because the lake was undergoing a large outbreak of swimmer’s itch. Ralph has been monitoring every spring, summer, and fall since then; loves doing it; and plans to continue sampling for as long as he can. Ralph has collected over 1,500 data measurements or water quality samples in Corey Lake over the 35 years he has participated in the volunteer programs. This data record ranks as one of the best historical data records on any inland lake in Michigan.

Every year, Ralph presents his results and the results from other lakes across Michigan to his lake association. In doing so, he stresses the need for proper lake stewardship and tries to convince the other lake association members to take practical steps in helping the lake, such as not fertilizing their lawns too close to the lake edge.

Ralph brings an interesting skill set to the CLMP. As a retired mechanical engineer, he possesses the technical know-how to design creative tools to aid his sampling efforts. For example, he built a mechanical arm to help him take phosphorus samples so he could keep his hands and arms out of the cold water in the spring. The mechanical arm makes sampling safer, too; Ralph uses a pontoon boat which is high off of the water. The long mechanical arm allows him to sample without bending over the side of the boat.

Ralph also makes the Secchi disks that other volunteers use in the CLMP program. He makes them in large batches of around eighty by taking a huge steel sheet and burning the disks out. To date, Ralph has built around three hundred of these disks. If you have a CLMP-provided Secchi disk, then you have Ralph to thank!

When not on the lake sampling, Ralph keeps his mechanical skills sharp by working as a consultant with his former employers. He is also in the process of designing and building a wind turbine at his house on Corey Lake. The electricity generated by his invention will be used to help heat his house.

Ralph’s love for his lake has driven him to go above and beyond the duties asked of a CLMP volunteer. One winter, he drilled holes in the ice to take winter lake dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles, just because he was curious! His enthusiasm is infectious.

Ralph, we appreciate all the work you have done and we look forward to continuing this partnership for many years to come.

MLSA 2009 Conference

The Michigan Lake and Stream Associations is holding their annual conference on April 24 and 25 at the Comfort Inn Lakeside on Houghton Lake. On the first day of the conference, CLMP coordinators from MDEQ will train participants in the techniques that CLMP volunteers employ to monitor their lakes. On the second day, the conference will provide a large diversity of speakers who cover a variety of lake-related topics such as lake management, fisheries management, and legal issues facing lake associations. For more information and to register, please visit the MLSA website: www.mlswa.org.

2008 Enrollment and Annual Summary Report

Two-hundred fifteen lakes enrolled in the CLMP for the 2008 summer season. From Gratiot Lake on the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula to Lake Diane on the border of Michigan and Ohio, hard-working volunteers continued the important task of collecting Secchi disk depths, phosphorus, chlorophyll a, and dissolved oxygen samples. Visit www.micorps.net/lakereports.html to download the 2008 Annual Summary Report and view data collected for your lake. Thank you everyone for another successful year of the CLMP!

Web-Based Program Enrollment for 2009

This fall, MiCorps staff kicked off a very useful tool: online enrollment in the CLMP. Although registration by mail is still available, the online enrollment function can help us cut costs and save you time. Register for the 2009 CLMP season now by visiting: www.micorps.net/CLMPregister.html. Sampling has already begun - so don't miss out!

Lake Water Quality Assessment Monitoring Program Plans for 2009

In 1998, the U.S. Geological Survey and MDEQ partnered together to form the Lake Water Quality Assessment (LWQA) monitoring program. Under this program, surveys are conducted during spring turnover and summer stratification periods in public-access lakes. The surveys monitor a variety of parameters that indicate the trophic status of the lake. One interesting component of this program is the use of remote sensing satellite imagery to assess the status of unsampled lakes. To learn more about the program and how the data are used, visit the program website. Look for a more detailed report about the LWQA in the next issue of the MiCorps Monitor.

The following lakes will be sampled in 2009: