MiCorps Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
The Ottawa Conservation District received a Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Volunteer Stream Monitoirng Implementation Grant in 2026 to conduct volunteer aquatic macroinvertebrate (water bugs) sampling in the Pigeon River and Crockery Creek Watersheds.
This monitoring grant provides us with the training and equipment to perform macroinvertebrate sampling with volunteers throughout both watersheds to monitor water quality conditions by collecting macroinvertebrates. Macro – big enough to be seen by the naked eye | Invertebrate – animal without a backbone.
Macroinvertebrates serve as “bio-indicators” and they can tell you a lot about a stream’s water qualtiy based on the bugs you find. Some macroinvertebrates are very sensitive and can only survive in high quality waters, others can live with high amounts of pollution present. This is a great way to get a long-term view on current water quality.
Each MiCorps sampling team includes 1 team leader, 1-2 collectors, and 3+ pickers.
Team Leader
Oversee sampling events, record data, and ensure quality control.
*Training required
Collector
In-stream using D-nets and other tools to collect samples over a specified amount of time.
*Training required
Picker
Assist collectors and ‘pick’ through collected materials to sort and identify macroinvertebrates and separate them out into preservation bottles for later identification.
What will we do with this data?
Data collected from this program will be used to keep track of habitat conditions and water qualtiy over time. We will be sampling sites originally sampled by OCD staff and this will add continuous data to see water qualtiy trends within both the Pigeon River and Crockery Creek Watersheds.
OCD staff originally sampled the Pigeon River for macroinvertebrates in 2020 and data results from that sampling can be found in the Pigeon River Watershed Management Plan.
OCD staff originally sampled the Crockery Creek for macroinvertebreates in 2026. Data results from that sampling will be posted by the end of 2026.
Check out data from waterbodies throughout the state via the MiCorps Data Exchange Network.
Current / Upcoming Sign Ups:
For questions, please contact:
Sarah Bowman (Watershed & Conservation Specialist) at 616-842-5852 Ext. 5 or sarah.bowman@macd.org