Cyanobacteria create toxins that can kill marine life, which is why monitoring is so important.

“Cyanobacterial blooms reduce water transparency and recreational value, cause odor and taste problems, and can be toxic to both terrestrial and aquatic organisms.”  That doesn’t sound very nice, so if you were responsible for ensuring water quality, you’d probably want to put a monitoring program in place.  That’s exactly what the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University did for 77 lakes across the Wolverine State.  They found that citizen participation was an effective way to collect field samples, having them immediately store the samples in nalgene bottles in their home freezers.  When the samples arrive at the lab, they are immediately stored in a lab freezer.

For further information visit www.michigan.gov.

• 

•