Being Part of Your Community

The Mouth of the Huron River and Lake Superior

It is still dark out and I’m finding it difficult to stay awake even with a cup of tea in hand. I got out of bed earlier than normal this morning as I will be going to the Freshwater Summit today and wanted to write my post before I left.

The Freshwater Summit is an annual educational and networking event for people interested in issues facing the Great Lakes and other bodies of water in Michigan.  I attended the Summit for the first time last year. I learned about quagga and zebra mussels and the oligitrophic nature of Lake Michigan, details about the water quality program at the local community college and was entertained with stories told by local nature writer, Jerry Dennis.

I was pleased to see the participation of people not directly connected to public, private and nonprofit environmental organizations. In the past, those of us who wanted to be involved in addressing environmental issues were often dismissed by the professionals as amateurs and sentimental impediments to the real work. But that belief system is being dismantled by the emergence of citizen scientists. Citizen scientists are private citizens who collect and record observations and data to be used by universities, nonprofit organizations and units of government.

As funding for research becomes more difficult to secure, environmental organizations are finding a rich resource of volunteers who are committed and willing to help. Citizen scientists have the opportunity to learn more about environmental issues directly from people working in those fields in return for getting the satisfaction of knowing that their volunteering plays a role in improving knowledge and the planet.

We each can play a role in making a difference in our communities, be it volunteering in a soup kitchen, participating in “walks” for cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease or any number of diseases or causes, running for elective office or becoming a citizen scientist. Don’t be afraid that you have nothing to offer. There is something for all of us. You just need to ask.