The Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today announced the release of two grant opportunities for volunteer stream monitoring in Michigan: the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program and the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Start-Up Grant Program.  Both opportunities are offered under the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps), a network of volunteer monitoring programs in Michigan.  Up to a total of $50,000 is available this year to fund these grant programs.

The Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program provides grants for water quality monitoring in wadeable streams and rivers.  The grants provide training and support for the volunteer groups to help them collect quality data on the state's water resources which is used to support the DNRE's efforts to protect and manage the state's water resources.  The grants may be used to fund a local monitoring coordinator and/or purchase water quality monitoring supplies.  Local units of government and nonprofit entities are eligible to receive grant funding to implement community-based volunteer programs to monitor macroinvertebrates and stream habitat characteristics.

The Volunteer Stream Monitoring Start-Up Grant Program provides funding for newly forming volunteer monitoring groups to assist these new groups in designing a monitoring strategy for their community and aid in the development of a full proposal for the 2011 Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program.  Start-up grant recipients will have access to MiCorps resources and training and can use the start-up money to conduct research on a monitoring project and strategy.  Local units of government and nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive grant funding.  Up to $10,000 will be available for start-up grants, with multiple grants expected in the $1,000 to $3,000 range.

Grant application packages, which include grant information and application instructions, are available online at: http://www.micorps.net/app/gap10 and http://www.micorps.net/app/startup10.   Questions about the grant application process should be directed to: Paul Steen, Huron River Watershed Council, at 734-769-5123, extension 14, or psteen@hrwc.org. 

Grant application packages for the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program and Volunteer Stream Monitoring Start-Up Grant Program are due by February 22, 2010.

Now in its sixth year, the MiCorps program was established by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm to involve and assist the state's volunteer water quality organizations in water quality assessments, protection, and stewardship of lakes and rivers.  To date, the current program has awarded nearly $245,000 in monitoring grants to volunteer organizations.

For more information, visit the MiCorps Web site at http://www.micorps.net.  Information is also available by contacting Laura Kaminski, GLC, at 734-971-9135 or laurak@glc.org; or Kay Edly, DNRE, at 517-373-4633 or edlyk@michigan.gov.

Editor's note:  DNRE environmental news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

The DNRE is committed to the conservation, protection, management, and accessible use and enjoyment of the state's environment, natural resources, and related economic interests for current and future generations.