We’re deep in the throes of winter, but we can certainly dream about summer! When your county is home to over 100 lakes, there’s nothing that compares to a Michigan summer on the water. We all want to keep Oakland County lakes clean for swimmers, boaters, water skiers, fish, and wildlife and you can help by volunteering for the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP). The CLMP, which is working in partnership with the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, Oakland County Health Division, and Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), needs volunteers like you to help monitor and protect the health of our beautiful local lakes.
“We are excited to partner with the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program to provide residents with valuable resources to monitor the health of our lakes,” said Board Chairman Michael J. Gingell. “Together we can help preserve and protect hundreds of lakes across Oakland County for generations to come.”
Volunteering is easy! Volunteers will take two water samples for phosphorous, take a weekly water transparency measurement with a Secchi Disk (mid-May through mid-September), and will conduct a survey of the lake for aquatic invasive plants.
Interested residents are encouraged to attend one of two informational sessions in February to learn more about the volunteer program, and a mandatory training session on Saturday, May 5th, 2018.
If you are unable to attend one of the informational sessions in February, but would still like to register a lake and attend the required training, please complete and return an application by April 1.
To qualify for this eco-friendly program, you must:
- Be an Oakland County resident
- Have access to a boat (water testing occurs in the deepest part of the lake)
- Have permission to access the lake if it doesn’t have a public access launch
Residents who cannot attend the mandatory training should still pursue this volunteer program.
“Water is one of Michigan‘s greatest resources,” said Commissioner Marcia Gershenson. “This program will help reassure residents that our lakes are safe places to swim and fish.”
As a volunteer, you’ll have a perfect excuse to take your boat out all summer long. Let’s ensure our lakes are beautiful for generations to come and keep Oakland County a premier place to live, work, play, and raise a family.
“This is a win-win for protecting Oakland County’s lakes,” said Commissioner Dave Woodward. “I’m proud to have led the effort to launch this new environmental initiative to monitor, test, and protect our numerous lakes – not just for today, but for long into the future. We all have a responsibility to protect our lakes and water.”
Meetings are scheduled as follows:
Informational Sessions
Tuesday, February 6th
7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 24th
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Required Training Session
Saturday, May 5th
9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Meetings will be held in the Commissioners Auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 12E in Pontiac.
For questions about the informational sessions or to register for training, please email Paul Steen at psteen@hrwc.org or call 734-769-5123 ext. 601. For more information about the CLMP, visit www.micorps.net/lake-monitoring or call 989-257-3715.
View the Oakland County Board of Commissioners’ press release or visit their website for more news, initiatives, and opportunities to get involved.
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