Four groups have been selected by the Great Lakes Commission to receive the first grants awarded through the Michigan Clean Water
Corps (MiCorps), the state’s new program supporting volunteer water quality monitoring.

The four organizations will share $38,000 in grants to be awarded this year through MiCorps, which was created in 2004 by an Executive Order by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The program supports volunteer water quality monitoring groups, who play a significant role in the state’s efforts to protect and manage its water resources.

The Commission, in partnership with the Huron River Watershed Council, has been contracted by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to administer the MiCorps
program. In addition to managing the grants, the Commission has also developed a web site, newsletter and logo for the program.

The volunteer organizations selected to receive grants this year are the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay and
Lake Superior State University’s Citizen Volunteer Stream Monitoring program.

The web site, www.micorps.net, provides an information center for volunteer monitoring groups in the state. The site provides resources
and training information for volunteer monitors and hosts a directory of monitoring programs.

The MiCorps Monitor newsletter is a semiannual publication focusing on volunteer monitoring issues. The first issue, published in March, is available on the MiCorps website.

The MiCorps program solicits, organizes and trains volunteers around the state to participate in water quality monitoring activities. MiCorps provides training for stream and lake monitoring;
disseminates methods for accurate data collection; implements effective quality assurance practices; facilitates data reporting and information sharing online; and provides a forum for communication and support among volunteer monitoring groups in Michigan.

MiCorps grants are a continuation of the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program, which was established by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality in 1998 and placed under MiCorps this year.

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