Michigan DEQ announces annual MiCorps conference for water monitoring volunteers

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced on Wednesday that, in cooperation with the MiCorps program, it will co-host the 11th annual MiCorps conference from November 4 to 5 at the Kettunen Center in Tustin, Michigan. 

The MiCorps program is developed and administered by the DEQ and the Great Lakes Commission with assistance from the Huron River Watershed Council, the Michigan Lake and Stream Association and Michigan State University. It is a network of volunteer monitoring programs that help the DEQ collect and share data on water quality.

The MiCorps conference is a tool to help those volunteers. This year's event focuses on using monitoring data for management purposes, communication with the public, reviewing studies on the state’s inland lakes, monitoring streams at road crossings and invasive species monitoring.

The conference will also feature two training workshops: Stellar Volunteers and Stellar Volunteer Programs and An Interagency Approach to Aquatic Invasive Species Outreach, Monitoring and Control. Presenters at the conference include volunteers, regional experts and DEQ and MiCorps staff.

Conference registration ends on October 28 and is open to volunteer monitoring program leaders, volunteers, water resource professionals and those interested in protecting the state’s waterways.