The Cass County Conservation District (CCCD) has been awarded a $2,991 start-up grant from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) to establish a volunteer stream-monitoring program in Cass County.

The grant serves as seed money to help organizations establish volunteer monitoring activities. CCCD is one of only two groups in the state to receive a start-up grant from DEQ and GLC this year.

To assess stream health and water quality, CCCD will utilize volunteers to monitor in-stream macroinvertebrate (aquatic insects) communities at several locations within the Dowagiac and Rocky River systems.

This fall, the district will host a training session for anyone interested in joining the program.

Volunteers will learn how to properly collect, identify and categorizes macroinvertebrates species to evaluate water quality. Anyone interested in participating in the monitoring program may contact the Cass County Conservation District for more information at (269)445-8643 ext. 180.