Since MiCorps began, there has been discussion about what types of monitoring MiCorps should support. This question actually has several implied questions within it. First, MiCorps is a program to support volunteer monitoring in Michigan, so we have to ask what kinds of monitoring can volunteers effectively do? In one of her factsheets for the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring National Facilitation Project (available at: www.micorps.net/links.html), Linda Green – this year’s MiCorps Conference keynote speaker – lists a wide array of parameters that volunteers can consider for monitoring. These include watershed assessments like road crossing surveys or habitat assessments; chemical parameters like nutrients, pH, metals, or dissolved oxygen; physical measures such as stream flow, lake level, or channel morphology; and biological parameters like macroinvertebrates, aquatic vegetation, bacteria or fish. There seem to be few limitations.

Stream Team volunteers from Shiawassee and Livingston County gear up
to search the Shiawassee River. Photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy.

Second, as a statewide program with limited resources, how should MiCorps focus its efforts? Initially, MiCorps staff, under guidance from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the program’s steering committee, chose to focus on a limited set of parameters for lake and stream monitoring to establish statewide standards and provide a baseline of comparison across all watersheds in the state. Also, support can take many forms from monetary to technical advice, methods establishment or review, lab analysis, data management, etc. What form should MiCorps support take?

So, what do you think MiCorps should support? What are you currently monitoring and why? What would you like to monitor and what support would you need to make it happen? We want to hear your thoughts via our listserv discussion list. Jump into the discussion by signing on to the list at www.micorps.net/listserv.html and posting your thoughts – or, just respond to this newsletter if you received it via the listserv. We want to hear what you think.