Local residents have an opportunity to participate in a project coordinated by the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program that could, depending on the person, combine education and entertainment.

The CLMP is looking for volunteers to help protect Michigan’s 11,000 inland lakes, an invaluable resource for visitors and residents alike.

CLMP volunteers choose what lake in the state to sample and what measurements to take. They can collect data on water quality, invasive species, native plants and shoreline conditions. Volunteers receive detailed instructions, training and equipment for a small fee.

The information volunteers collect is added to the MiCorps Data Exchange, a public database that includes CLMP lake data dating back to 1974.

Sound interesting? Visit the CLMP webpage at bit.ly/3KXjXlL to enroll for the 2022 summer season. As we said, there is a small fee to cover the cost of sampling equipment and support from lake professionals.

But time is short. The enrollment period for this coming summer ends Tuesday.

We recommend readers consider this. Going that extra mile to protect our water resources is not only great environmental policy but it might even be fun.