Become a Lake Monitoring Volunteer
Enrollment for the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) is entirely online and must be completed annually. Once you’ve created your MiCorps account, it is easy to come back to the site and update your information, add/remove lakes from your profile, enroll your lake in parameters for the year, and make payments. NOTE: There is a small fee to cover the costs of supplies and analyzing samples, but volunteers often can collaborate with local lake associations or other organizations to help pay for these costs. Payments are only accepted through our enrollment website. We cannot accept checks in the mail.
5 Steps to Become a Volunteer
Review your monitoring options and make a plan by visiting What You Can Monitor.
Create a MiCorps Account - Check out this step-by-step guide or video to learn how to navigate the CLMP enrollment process.
For Returning Volunteers: Sign in with your username and password and sign the current year's waiver, enroll your lake in parameters for the year, and pay.
All New Volunteers need to sign up for a new MiCorps account. Your account will include your contact information and the names of lake(s) that you monitor.
When signing up for your new MiCorps account, you will be asked if you are a “Lead Volunteer” or an “Assisting Volunteer”. This is an important distinction!
Select "Lead Volunteer" if you are the person who selects the monitoring parameters each year and arranges for payment, either by making the payment yourself or directing an invoice to a lake association or other organization. All communications, monitoring equipment, and supplies will be sent to you.
Select "Assisting Volunteer" if you help with monitoring, but you do not manage enrollment or payment. Monitoring equipment and supplies will not be sent directly to you; it will be sent to the Lead Volunteer for your lake.
Enroll a lake of your choosing once your account is created. You will select your monitoring parameters during this step.
Pay using one of the following methods:
Pay immediately online with credit card, debit card, or directly from a bank account (the electronic version of writing a check).
Have an invoice link sent to someone for a later online payment.
Get Trained! Choose in-person or online training opportunities by visiting our training page or by watching recorded training presentations found on each parameter page.
2025 Enrollment Fee Refund Policy
Organizations or individuals that have paid enrollment fees for the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) and later find that they are unable to complete the monitoring activities may request a refund of fees by notifying MiCorps in writing by May 31, 2025. The refund deadline is necessary due to scheduled allocation and distribution of supplies and materials for the sampling season.
After May 31, 2025, requests for refunds of fees will not be honored.
MiCorps will refund all enrollment fees if CLMP enrollment limits are exceeded for the year. (This is rare.)
Requests for enrollment fee refunds should be directed to MiCorps@msu.edu.
Download a copy of the 2025 CLMP Refund Policy.