Your local resource for natural resources since 1938
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MUSKEGON CONSERVATION DISTRICT
| The mission of the Muskegon Conservation District is serving, educating, and empowering our community for natural resource protection by providing site-specific technical assistance and information to landowners in all aspects of natural resource management. |
| This site and content are the property of the Muskegon Conservation District |
| Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 7:30am - 5:30pm Due to the nature of our work, the office may be closed during regular office hours as our staff are working in the field or attending appointments with landowners. Thank You! Phone: 231-773-0008 |
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Twice a year, volunteers assist MCD staff in collecting stream monitoring data that can be compared
over time to identify positive or negative trends in water quality. Currently there are six sites spaced
throughout the watershed to allow us to pinpoint sections of the stream where trends are developing.
over time to identify positive or negative trends in water quality. Currently there are six sites spaced
throughout the watershed to allow us to pinpoint sections of the stream where trends are developing.
Duck Creek Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
Why are we monitoring Duck Creek?
What information are we collecting?
Compared to most other waterways in Muskegon County, Duck Creek is a healthy, unpolluted stream.
However, development is rapidly increasing throughout the watershed—trees are being cleared, new
houses are being built, roads are being paved. These actions can affect the health of the stream.
Monitoring the stream now while it is relatively healthy gives us “baseline” data to compare with future
results, helping us detect changes—either positive or negative—more accurately. Since our desire is to
maintain Duck Creek at healthy levels rather than allowing it to degrade and then struggling to return it to
health, the more accurately we can pinpoint declines in water quality, the more effectively we can work to
mitigate the problems before serious and long-lasting damage is done.
Goals for the Duck Creek Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program include:
- monitoring the effects of new development within the watershed
- encouraging informed land use decisions for future development
- sharing scientifically-collected data with other organizations interested in protecting watershed health
- increasing community awareness and involvement in natural resources protection in the watershed
- initiating projects to protect and restore the watershed
However, development is rapidly increasing throughout the watershed—trees are being cleared, new
houses are being built, roads are being paved. These actions can affect the health of the stream.
Monitoring the stream now while it is relatively healthy gives us “baseline” data to compare with future
results, helping us detect changes—either positive or negative—more accurately. Since our desire is to
maintain Duck Creek at healthy levels rather than allowing it to degrade and then struggling to return it to
health, the more accurately we can pinpoint declines in water quality, the more effectively we can work to
mitigate the problems before serious and long-lasting damage is done.
Goals for the Duck Creek Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program include:
- monitoring the effects of new development within the watershed
- encouraging informed land use decisions for future development
- sharing scientifically-collected data with other organizations interested in protecting watershed health
- increasing community awareness and involvement in natural resources protection in the watershed
- initiating projects to protect and restore the watershed
The main task of the Duck Creek Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program is to collect and identify benthic
macroinvertebrates—small insects, snails, and other organisms living in the stream bed. These
organisms are good indicators of water quality because of their varying levels of tolerance to pollution. A
stream sample yielding high numbers of pollution-sensitive organisms indicates low levels of pollution
and higher water quality, whereas finding only pollution-tolerant organisms indicates lower water quality.
We also complete a habitat assessment for each site, taking measurements and recording
observations about the physical state of the stream site and its immediate surroundings.
Results from each sampling event are available online through the MiCorps Data Exchange website. To
find results from Duck Creek, enter Muskegon County as your Data Search Criteria.
macroinvertebrates—small insects, snails, and other organisms living in the stream bed. These
organisms are good indicators of water quality because of their varying levels of tolerance to pollution. A
stream sample yielding high numbers of pollution-sensitive organisms indicates low levels of pollution
and higher water quality, whereas finding only pollution-tolerant organisms indicates lower water quality.
We also complete a habitat assessment for each site, taking measurements and recording
observations about the physical state of the stream site and its immediate surroundings.
Results from each sampling event are available online through the MiCorps Data Exchange website. To
find results from Duck Creek, enter Muskegon County as your Data Search Criteria.
Who can volunteer?
Everyone is welcome to volunteer. You don’t have to be a scientist . . . just someone who loves nature.
It's easy and fun. We’ll show you everything you need to know to be a successful stream monitoring
volunteer!
Monitoring takes place on one Saturday in the spring and fall of each year. Most people spend about 3
hours helping out with various tasks.
To volunteer, contact Erin Charles at 231-773-0008 or email erin.charles@macd.org.
It's easy and fun. We’ll show you everything you need to know to be a successful stream monitoring
volunteer!
Monitoring takes place on one Saturday in the spring and fall of each year. Most people spend about 3
hours helping out with various tasks.
To volunteer, contact Erin Charles at 231-773-0008 or email erin.charles@macd.org.
Duck Creek is a high-quality stream flowing directly
into Lake Michigan through Duck Lake. Its
11,500-acre watershed lies entirely within
Muskegon County and boasts breathtaking
scenery of forests, wetlands, and sand dunes.
Although currently designated as a high-quality
stream, a decade of preliminary monitoring by the
Duck Creek Watershed Assembly (DCWA) has
shown a dramatic increase in summertime water
temperatures, sedimentation, and other
indications that water quality in Duck Creek is
declining. Through the Duck Creek Volunteer
Stream Monitoring Program, Muskegon
Conservation District (MCD) is partnering with
DCWA and the Michigan Clean Water Corps
(MiCorps) to verify these preliminary findings and to
pinpoint problem areas where restorations or other
measures need to be taken to prevent further
degradation of water quality.
into Lake Michigan through Duck Lake. Its
11,500-acre watershed lies entirely within
Muskegon County and boasts breathtaking
scenery of forests, wetlands, and sand dunes.
Although currently designated as a high-quality
stream, a decade of preliminary monitoring by the
Duck Creek Watershed Assembly (DCWA) has
shown a dramatic increase in summertime water
temperatures, sedimentation, and other
indications that water quality in Duck Creek is
declining. Through the Duck Creek Volunteer
Stream Monitoring Program, Muskegon
Conservation District (MCD) is partnering with
DCWA and the Michigan Clean Water Corps
(MiCorps) to verify these preliminary findings and to
pinpoint problem areas where restorations or other
measures need to be taken to prevent further
degradation of water quality.
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Duck Creek Whitehall Student Project
During the 2009-2010 school year, the Duck Creek Volunteer Stream Monitoring
Program partnered with a team of 5th and 7th grade students from Whitehall to
complete a West Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative project. Students
learned about stream monitoring in the classroom, then got a chance to practice
by sampling two sites in Duck Creek that had been recently sampled by adult
volunteers. Duplicate sampling is a scientific technique that helps to ensure
high quality data. The students just loved the challenge to check the adults' work!
Read more and see photos in this report from the teachers.
Program partnered with a team of 5th and 7th grade students from Whitehall to
complete a West Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative project. Students
learned about stream monitoring in the classroom, then got a chance to practice
by sampling two sites in Duck Creek that had been recently sampled by adult
volunteers. Duplicate sampling is a scientific technique that helps to ensure
high quality data. The students just loved the challenge to check the adults' work!
Read more and see photos in this report from the teachers.