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In this edition:
- Datasheet Submittal
- CLMP and CSMP Coordinators at the State Fair
- Citizen Lake Monitoring Program News
- Citizen Stream Monitoring Program News
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Submit Datasheets by October 31st
 The
2012 monitoring season is winding down. Please, as you get ready to
transition into fall, remember to submit your data by October 31st. The most convenient way to submit the data is with our electronic datasheet. The electronic datasheet
is a Microsoft Excel document that includes completion and submittal
instructions. Be sure to use the most recent electronic datasheet and if you submit your data electronically, you do not
need to send in your paper datasheet.
Volunteers that have requested paper communication will receive a letter reminding them to submit data by the first week of October. All paper datasheets can be submitted via mail to:
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Citizen Monitoring Programs
520 Lafayette Road North
Saint Paul, MN 55155
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 CLMP and CSMP at the State Fair
Citizen Lake and Citizen Stream Monitoring Program Coordinators spoke at the Eco Experience! The Coordinators spoke about the importance of water monitoring volunteers and how citizen water monitoring data are used.
If you know of someone
that might be interested in being a lake or stream monitoring
volunteer in 2013, encourage them to enroll today!
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 Advanced Citizen Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP+)
Are you interested in learning more about your lake? The Advanced Citizen Lake Monitoring Program (CLMP+) allows volunteers to monitor additional parameters such as temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles, alkalinity, chloride,
chlorophyll, color, nitrogen, phosphorus, and solids.
Participants in the CLMP+ are trained by MPCA staff in proper
monitoring and sample collection techniques and all of the monitoring equipment, shipping costs and laboratory analysis fees are covered by the MPCA. Volunteers are required to
provide a boat, perform monitoring activities from May through
September, complete necessary paperwork, and ship samples for laboratory
analysis.
To be considered for CLMP+ in 2013, check out our website for eligibility and please submit your application by January 31, 2013.
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 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Monitoring
Monitor water clarity in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness! Anyone can monitor in the BWCAW and without any long-term program commitment - just monitor when you can. Call 1-800-657-3864 or email clmp.pca@state.mn.us to reserve a water monitoring kit approximately two weeks before your trip. The kit contains a special lightweight version of a Secchi disk (a
white disk on a calibrated rope), waterproof data cards (one for each lake), an instruction sheet and a pencil. We reuse the kits
throughout the season. Consequently, volunteers are provided a return envelope, postage and asked to return the kit and data as soon as they return from the BWCAW. As always, the data provided by volunteers is put to good use. In fact, often times, the data collected by volunteers from the BWCAW is the only water quality information we have!
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 Ice Monitoring Opportunity
If you live on your lake year-round, you may be able to collect another type of valuable environmental data - the dates that ice forms and melts on lakes. This information is especially useful because the duration of ice cover is a good
indicator of climatic conditions.
For more information on how to collect ice data, or if you would like to become an ice data volunteer please send an email to Ed Swain at the MPCA, at ice.pca@state.mn.us.
Existing Ice Monitoring Volunteers should submit data to ice.pca@state.mn.us with the following information:
- Your Name and Contact Information (Address, Email and Phone Number)
- Your CLMP I.D.
- Lake Name and the County
- Lake I.D. (for example, 73-0037)
- Date (mm/dd/yyyy) Ice Completely Formed
- Date (mm/dd/yyyy) Ice Completely Melted
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 Tell us what you think of the Secchi tube!
Now that you’ve had a chance to use your Secchi tube, we would love to
hear about your experience with it. Do you find the Secchi tube easy to
use? Have you experienced any problems or have questions about how to
correctly take a reading with it? Contact us with any questions or
feedback on your Secchi tube experience by emailing the Citizen Stream
Monitoring Program at csmp.pca@state.mn.us, or by calling 1-800-657-3864. We appreciate your feedback! |
New life for an old tube
Valinda Carter came up with a most creative way to
repurpose her old transparency tube. Carter, a CSMP volunteer from
Finlayson, transformed her old 100-cm t-tube into a sculpture in her
garden! The t-tube that once measured transparency of the Pine River now
artfully displays agates collected along nearby dirt roads. “I intend
to do the same thing with the smaller tube. I just haven't finished
filling it with agates yet. Recycling at its prettiest!”
Thanks Valinda, for sharing your story and beautiful garden!
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 We need more Secchi tube photos!
Many thanks to the Madison Lake Watershed and Lake Association for responding to our request for photos of CSMP volunteers using the new Secchi tube. We need more pictures to get the word out about our great program! Please send us photographs of the Secchi tube in use by either emailing electronic images as attachments to csmp.pca@state.mn.us, or mail hard copy photographs to:
MN Pollution Control Agency
Citizen Stream Monitoring Program
520 Lafayette Rd N, Saint Paul, MN 55155
Please note: All images submitted will be used in various CSMP materials to promote and increase understanding and awareness of the program. Thank you for helping us promote the CSMP!
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Monitor Rainfall with CoCoRaHS
Many CSMP volunteers enrolled in the Community Collaborative Rain Snow and Hail Network (CoCoRaHS) during
2011, when the CSMP transferred its rain monitoring component to this
volunteer precipitation monitoring network. If you are interested in
tracking 24 hour rainfall amounts at your home and haven’t already
enrolled, we encourage you to join CoCoRaHs now.
When you join, be sure to let them know that you are a CSMP volunteer,
by entering “CSMP” under “How did you find out about CoCoRaHS?” This is a
great opportunity to collect valuable precipitation data and share it
online with a wide variety of users through a map of daily precipitation. |
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