What We Do
1. We sponsor and arrange workshops, meetings and seminars in order to provide our membership and concerned citizens with timely information about the use and wise management of Michigan’s inland lakes and streams. We conduct an Annual Conference in late April or early May of each year, hold fall seminars throughout the state in September and October and conduct special events throughout the year focused on specific issues and problems regarding our freshwater heritage.
2. We produce and distribute educational materials that identify and suggest actions lake associations and local units of government may take to prevent water quality degradation as well as protect the health, safety and welfare of Michigan citizens.
3. We promote, encourage, and enable lake associations and individuals in measuring the physical, biological, and chemical parameters of inland lakes by administering the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP), a collaborative partnership led by the Michigan Department of EGLE. Volunteer monitors are trained and equipped to monitor the following inland lake parameters:
- Secchi Disk – Water Transparency
- Spring and Summer Total Phosphorus
- Chlorophyll a – a measure of how much algae is present in your lake’s water column
- Dissolved Oxygen and Temperature
- Exotic Plant Watch
- Aquatic Plant Identification
4. We inform lake, stream and watershed associations of state land and water use regulations that directly affect Michigan citizens and the recreational users of our water resources.
5. We encourage waterfront property owners and members of the public to learn about the impacts of recreational water use on aquatic plant and animal populations in lakes and streams.
6. We file amicus curiae briefs with the Michigan Court of Appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court to advise the court on our position regarding the important water resources management and riparian rights legal issues being considered by the courts.
7. We promote the creation of lake and stream riparian associations as a means of collectively addressing issues relative to the preservation and protection of our freshwater resources.
8. We co-sponsor a full-time Inland Lakes and Streams Outreach Education position at the Michigan State University Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
9. We are a proud participant in several statewide collaborative partnerships including the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps, the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership, Michigan State University Extension and the Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership.
10. We provide funding for our partner’s projects and programs, like the Clean Boats Clean Waters website and the Michigan Shoreland Stewards Website.
11. We fund scholarship and grant opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students interested in water quality and lake studies.
12. We maintain copies of local and state court decisions which define and affect riparian property rights and water law in Michigan.