Parks in Partnership: Water Stewardship in Action

6.24.2026

By Erin Parker, Interpretive Services Supervisor

Water stewardship comprises a variety of tasks depending on the goals of the monitor and the water body being stewarded. Programs like Vernal Pool Patrol, Adopt-A- Stream, and the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP) rely on trained volunteers to conduct a variety of monitoring for chemical and biological features of various bodies of water.

Volunteers keep tabs on their selected waterway or site over the course of a season and, ideally, over several years. Volunteers can record observations of threatened or unique species, identify emerging threats such as nonnative species, report problems like oil spills or other contamination, and document changes through time. These volunteer stewardship efforts contribute to understanding and protecting Michigan’s waterways. Standardized protocols and training for each individual monitoring project help keep the data useful.

Michigan Vernal Pool Patrol

In early spring, before the ice has completely melted off southeast Michigan’s wooded wetlands, a massive spring phenomenon takes place. Amphibians, like wood frog and spotted salamander, awaken from their winter hibernation and head for the shallow, seasonal wetlands known as vernal pools.

These are critical habitats for many of Michigan’s amphibians, both because they dry up most summers, making them fish-free, and many of the amphibians that depend on them exhibit high site fidelity, returning to the same breeding pool every year and living in a small habitat range that prevents long-distance movements. Volunteers, trained through the Michigan Vernal Pool Patrol, map and monitor these important wetlands each year to help scientists better understand where these pools exist and how Michigan’s amphibian populations are doing.

Oakwoods, Stony Creek, and Hudson-Mills Metroparks all have vernal pools. Stony Creek supports training of volunteers and monitoring efforts for Macomb County each year, helping new volunteers practice their skills in the field and contributing to monitoring efforts in the Metroparks.

Adopt-a-stream

Michigan’s many streams, rivers, creeks, and other moving water add to the quality of life for many people, offering opportunities for everything from fishing to wildlife photography to paddling to simply enjoying the sights, sounds, and seasonal changes. Volunteer monitoring efforts through local watershed groups can help protect waterways and stop problems before they escalate. Trained volunteers work in teams or individually to conduct regular monitoring of the water chemistry and flow rate of their selected stream while also making observations of their location’s banks, erosion, and vegetation. Volunteer protocols also include decontaminating procedures to prevent the accidental spread of non-indigenous species from one body of water to another!

Interested in volunteering with an Adopt-a-Stream program? Look for annual, often early-spring volunteer trainings and orientations with your local watershed council. Regular monitoring takes place in the warm weather months (generally April – September). Data collected by volunteers is used in a variety of ways to protect, restore, and maintain water quality in the region.

Storm Drain Stewards and Adopt-a-Drain

Another program that relies on volunteers focuses on reducing or eliminating pollution from entering lakes, streams, and other waterways at the source:  storm drains! Storm drains are designed to move rainwater and snowmelt from roads, sidewalks, and parking lots but they can quickly become packed with debris and litter. Storm drains rarely lead to any filtration system; water moves through the drain and storm sewer system to the nearest body of water, carrying any trash or pollution along with it.

Storm drain stewardship and Adopt-A-Drain may look different in different communities. Some, such as Clinton River Watershed Council’s program, involve stenciling storm drains to remind residents that garbage and liquids should not be dumped into drains. Other programs utilize volunteers to clear and maintain storm drains by raking and removing leaves, grass, and litter to keep the drains open and functioning.

There are many ways to get involved in the stewardship of your local waterway, with training and equipment support provided, and these make great ways to support clean, healthy water for all of southeast Michigan.

Resources:

Adopt-A-Stream program with the Clinton River Watershed Council

Storm Drain Stewards with Clinton River Watershed Council

Adopt-A-Drain

MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program

Michigan Vernal Pool Patrol