HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolutions - 2017.08.10 - 23065MISCELLANEOUS RESOLUTION #17231
BY: Commissioners David Woodward, District #19; Marcia Gershenson, District #13;
IN RE: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS — SUPPORT FUNDING FOR THE OAKLAND COUNTY
COOPERATIVE LAKES MONITORING PROGRAM
To the Oakland County Board of Commissioners
Chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen:
WHEREAS Michigan's unique geographical location provides its citizens with a wealth of freshwater
resources including over 11,000 inland lakes; and
WHEREAS Oakland County is home to more than 350 inland lakes; and
WHEREAS in addition to being valuable ecological resources, lakes provide aesthetic and recreational
value for the people of Michigan and Oakland County; and
WHEREAS the quality and safety of our lakes is essential for a strong economy; and
WHEREAS as more and more people use the lakes and surrounding watersheds, the potential for
environmental problems and use impairment increases dramatically; and
WHEREAS the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) implemented the Cooperative
Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) as an important component of Michigan's inland lakes monitoring
program over 35 years ago; and
WHEREAS the primary purpose of the CLMP is to help citizen volunteers monitor indicators of water
quality in their lakes and document changes to lake quality over time; and
WHEREAS the CLMP program has been operating since 1974 and is the second oldest lake monitoring
program in the United States; and
WHEREAS the goals of the program include:
1. Provide baseline information and document trends in water quality for individual lakes,
2. Educate Lake residents, users, and interested citizens in the collection of water quality data,
lake ecology, and lake management practices,
3. Build a constituency of citizens to practice sound lake management at the local level and
build public support for lake quality protection,
4. Provide a cost-effective process for the MDEQ to increase baseline data for lakes state-wide;
and
WHEREAS volunteers who monitor a lake through the CLMP are taught biology and ecology, the time
spent monitoring the lake brings about an extra level of concern for the water body. Volunteers often
become champions for clean water and go on to take leadership roles in their communities; and
WHEREAS the CLMP continues as a foundation program under the Michigan Clean Water Corp
(MiCorps) with long standing partnerships in the program from the following groups: Michigan Lakes and
Streams Association (MLSA), the Great Lakes Commission, The Huron River Watershed Council, and
Michigan State University; and
WHEREAS the mission of MiCorps is to network and expand volunteer water quality monitoring
organizations statewide for the purpose of collecting, sharing, and using reliable data; educate and inform
the public about water quality issues; and foster water resources stewardship to facilitate the preservation
and protection of Michigan's water resources; and
WHEREAS the purpose of the Oakland County CLMP monitoring project is to provide lake communities
with a strategy for monitoring overall lake quality in addition to any impact from non-native invasive
species; and
WHEREAS monitoring overall lake quality is extremely important because if undetected, invasive species
can spread rapidly across a lake, greatly damaging (often irreparably) a lake's ecology, fish and
populations, and property values;
WHEREAS the Oakland County Board of Commissioners believes an investment in the health of our
lakes and watersheds can have long-term positive implications for the county, region and state.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the Oakland County Board of Commissioners calls for the
development of a partnership with MiCorps to do the following:
• Support the recruitment and training of volunteers to do Oakland County lake testing and
monitoring.
• Expand MiCorp activities in Oakland County.
• Cover costs for volunteer trainings and materials.
• Provide an annual report to the Board of Commissioners about the number of volunteers
recruited and trained, and the results of annual testing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Oakland County Board of Commissioners hereby appropriates
$50,000 to a partnership with MiCorps for the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program within Oakland
County.
Commissioner David Woodward
District #19
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Chairperson, I move the adoption of the foregoing Resolution.
Commissioner Marcia Urshenson
Dis ri'6t #13
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Resolution *17231 August 10, 2017
The Chairperson referred the resolution to the General Government Committee and the Finance
Committee. There were no objections.