Wanting to learn from and recognize the volunteers who give of their time and energy to monitor the health and quality of our lakes and streams, the MiCorps team decided to start a new section of the MiCorps Monitor dedicated to these individuals. For the first installment of the Volunteer Corner, the MiCorps team caught up with volunteers John Sanchez and Roy Tassava – an experienced team leader duo of the Tip of the Mitt Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program – during their off season.

Volunteer Stream Monitors John Sanchez and Roy Tassava.
Photo courtesy of Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council.

MiCorps Monitor: First of all, thank you for your time and for letting us ask you a few questions. How long have you been a volunteer stream monitor with the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council?

Tassava: It’s been about six years now, since 2002 or 2003.

Sanchez: Roy would remember. We started at about the same time.

Tassava: My role is as a collector. John [Sanchez] is the leader. I actually get in the stream with a net and dig under logs, rocks and other stuff in the stream. We’re looking for sample organisms that can tell us a lot about the stream. What I find in the net gets dumped into a pail and carried up to the pickers. Then they dump the materials into pans and pull out anything that’s alive – mostly macroinvertebrates – but occasionally we’ll catch a few small fish. We put the fish back into the stream. John and I will help with the picking once we’re done in the stream. We go through all the material and bottle the samples in alcohol to preserve them for lab identification.

Sanchez: As a team leader, I help to keep the group organized and do most of the paperwork. We also map out the collection area and document water depths, temperatures, weather, and other aspects of the site and the condition of the stream.

Sanchez: We usually work on the same creek, Mullet Creek, with the same crew. The team has a mix of people with different backgrounds, but mostly it’s people who like to be outdoors. Some – like Roy – have a personal interest in the creek since it runs through their property and into Mullet Lake.

Tassava: Usually we have a crew of four, but sometimes it’s just John and me.

Sanchez: We go out twice a year, in the spring and fall – one field day and one lab day each time. And all volunteers also go through an initial training session.

Tassava: In addition to the Tip of the Mitt program, I’m usually out on my property sampling every other day. But that’s because I’m interested in the fish biology and behavioral ecology and am working on a genetic study of brook trout. Plus, I like to know about the health of the stream and monitor what’s happening as a result of agricultural practices upstream of my property.

Tassava: In general, Mullet Creek is pretty healthy. Although, there could be sudden changes from pollutants entering the creek way up stream, or you could observe changes over time like increasing water temperatures from global warming. You might see changes from impacts to the groundwater system or from practices on nearby farms. We have some dairy farms upstream and the whole area is pretty rural. We’ve had some problems with gravel from the road and sand from the ditches washing into the stream and filling in the trout holes. So I usually watch that.

Tassava: Well, I’m a biologist by training – a retired geneticist from Ohio State University – and I have a personal interest in Mullet Creek and the brook trout. I even wrote a book about the brook trout here. I have 40 acres and the stream flows right through it. I’m interested in stream ecology, conservation, and maintaining the health of the stream.

Sanchez: I’ve been on the board of directors for the Mullet Area Preservation Society (MAPS) for 15 years and have been involved with Tipp of the Mitt for a long time, so I volunteered to be a team leader.

Tassava: Something of interest always comes up. We’re always finding new organisms. It’s fun to be in the laboratory with the other crews from different streams and share information and stories about our experiences. Someone will find something interesting and we’ll all stop and go over and check it out. Then there was the time the water went over my waders! That was pretty memorable.

Sanchez: Given the times of year that we go out to sample (spring and fall), the weather is always kind of iffy. But we always end up with the most perfect sunny days when we go out. It’s a good time to be out in the woods. We’ll take tables and chairs out to our site, so it’s really nice to be able to sit down and visit with the other folks while being tucked back in the woods. We always look forward to being with the team.

Tassava: I really like seeing the little brook trout we catch in the net. And the mottled sculpin fish and brook lamprey. I once saw a mother leach with hundreds of little babies.

Sanchez: We’ve found little houses or shelters made out of casings or wood or pebbles in various shapes. I also like to see the damselflies. And the water mites, which can be the size of a pinhead. Most of the stuff we find is so small. But under a microscope these mites can be either bright green or bright red. And they look like a scary little spider.

Sanchez: Volunteering can be very interesting, especially if you have concerns about the environment or water quality in your area. And it’s a lot of fun – enjoy doing it! It’s exciting and somewhat challenging – you never know what you’ll find. There are certain things that you expect to find, of course, but there are other unusual finds. Take pride in finding the unusual, finding good quantities, and being thorough.

Tassava: Find time to volunteer. It’s an important job to do! The information we collect on the “critters” in the stream tell us about the water quality. And if changes are observed, that means the stream is struggling and we need to figure out what’s happening. Be aware and observe what’s happening in the environment. Make sure there’s nothing happening that would have an adverse effect.

Sanchez: It’s a good excuse for grown adults to play in the water and pick out bugs!

Photo courtesy of the
Huron River Watershed Council.

About the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program: Since 2005, the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program has been hard at work structuring the program, developing a Quality Assurance Program Plan, purchasing necessary equipment and recruiting volunteers. Presently, the program focuses on streams that flow into Mullet Lake, Lake Charlevoix and Torch Lake. A total of 15 sites are monitored twice per year on seven streams. For more information on the program, visit: www.watershedcouncil.org/protect/volunteer stream monitoring/.

Do you know an extraordinary volunteer lake or stream monitor? Please send your nominations for future installments of the Volunteer Corner to Laura Kaminski, MiCorps Program Administrator, at laurak@glc.org.