Volunteer stream monitoring grants available

For More Information                                              Brad Wurfel, 517-373-7917, wurfelb@michigan.gov 

                                                                       William Dimond, 517-241-9565, dimondw@michigan.gov 

The DEQ and Great Lakes Commission today announced $50,000 in grants available for volunteer stream monitoring in Michigan this year.

The Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program and the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Startup Grant Program are offered under MiCorps, a network of volunteer monitoring programs in Michigan. Local units of government and nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive funding.

The stream monitoring grants support volunteer work to monitor benthic macroinvertebrate communities and habitat characteristics in wadeable streams and rivers. The funds support training and water quality data collection helping state and local efforts to protect and manage water resources. The grants may be used to fund a local monitoring coordinator and/or purchase water quality monitoring supplies.

The stream monitoring startup grants are for newly forming volunteer monitoring groups. Funds assist with designing a local monitoring program and strategy, or for development of a full proposal for a future Volunteer Stream Monitoring Grant Program cycle. Startup grant recipients have access to MiCorps resources and training. Up to $10,000 will be available for startup grants, with multiple grants expected in the $1,000 to $3,000 range.

Now in its eighth year, the MiCorps Program was established to assist the DEQ in collecting and sharing water quality data for use in water resources management and protection programs. MiCorps has awarded more than $340,000 in Clean Michigan Initiative grant funds to volunteer organizations to assist in water quality assessments, protection, and stewardship of lakes and rivers.

For more information on the MiCorps Program or these grant opportunities, please visit the MiCorps Web site at:  http://www.micorps.net.

Grant application packages, which include grant information and application instructions, are available at: http://www.micorps.net/app/gap12.html and http://www.micorps.net/app/startup12.html. Grant applications are due by 1 p.m. on Feb 17.

Questions about the grant application process should be directed to Dr. Paul Steen, Huron River Watershed Council, at 734-769-5123 or psteen@hrwc.org; or Mr. Bill Dimond, Surface Water Assessment Section, Water Resources Division, DEQ, at 517-241-9565 or dimondw@michigan.gov.  

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