Every spring and fall the Flint River Water Coalition spends 2 weeks doing water quality monitoring at 34 sites around the watershed, which spans from Holly to Lapeer.
Volunteer monitors visit their site and complete site assessments, including collecting benthic samples (such as dragonfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae) from their location. The samples are then taken back to one of our lab locations in Genesee or Lapeer County for identification, and those identifications are verified by our Master Identifiers. From that information we are able to tell how healthy our local streams are and identify problems areas. We also share our results with several local and state agencies. This information is available on our website, www.flintriver.org under the Water Monitoring tab.
We are always looking for volunteers and this is a great way to make a difference in your community and to get family and friends involved in protecting our precious waterways. We have monitors of all ages, from middle school on up, so grab a friend! To find out more, come attend our training session on Thursday, April 11th with 2 times available, either 1-4 pm or 5-8 pm at Jack Abernathy Park in Davison. We will walk you through the process and show you where and what to look for, and then pair you up with an experienced monitor at one of our sites. If you are interested in participating but cannot attend training please contact Jaime Welch to see if an alternative time can be scheduled. For directions and a map to the training, please go to: http://goo.gl/maps/bndZi
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Our lab days for monitoring season this spring will be Sunday, April 21, from 12-5 and Thursday, May 2nd from 12-6 in Genesee County and on Saturday, May 4th from 12-4 pm in Lapeer county.
With 34 sites around the watershed, we are sure to have something close to you. Find out how your local stream scores and what is living under that seemingly calm surface. Contact Jaime Welch at 810-767-7140 or jwelch@flintriver.org for information or to reserve a spot at the training session. Our water monitoring program is completely dependent on our wonderful volunteers, we could not do it without them!