Internship Program
The Three Lakes Association (TLA) summer internship program is offered to high school students of Bellaire, Central Lake, Elk Rapids, Kalkaska, Mancelona. The program has two key components aimed at one overarching mission: preserving the lakes we love.
First, the program equips students with the resources to understand potential threats to our watershed and lakes. Under the guidance of experienced scientific mentors, students identify variables that may impact water quality, formulate critical questions, and help in the design of a scientific study to address these concerns. Second, the program offers hands-on experience in applying scientific methods. Students develop hypotheses, design studies, create protocols, and conduct field research to gather data. They then learn how to analyze and visualize this data through graphs and tables, ultimately compiling it into a presentation or report. Students also gain valuable experience presenting their findings to the TLA board and school boards.
This internship provides an excellent opportunity for high school students to acquire skills applicable to careers in environmental science and beyond.
While the methods and results produced are of high quality, the reports and presentations are not formal peer-reviewed, scientific papers. Instead, the program offers a valuable learning experience while addressing important water quality issues.
| 2019 | Survey of Torch Lake and Lake Bellaire for Swimmer’s Itch Cercariae, and Fecal Bacteria using qPCR Methodology | Report Slides |
| 2017 | Water-Science Projects on: Phosphorus sampling with Peepers, E. coli survey on the Torch Lake sandbar, Cladophora shoreline survey, Stream Monitoring for E. coli, insects and plants | Slides |
| 2016 | Water-Science Projects on: Large Woody Debris, Eurasian Water Milfoil, Benthic Barriers, Water chemistry of stream mouths, E. coli, fish shocking, macroinvertebrates | Slides |
| 2015 | Water-Science Projects on: Eurasian Water Milfoil, Benthic Barriers, how to use a hydro lab, E.coli, fish shocking, macroinvertebrates, flying over the watershed | Slides |
| 2014 | Water-Science Projects on: Eurasian Water Milfoil, Maury Creek Investigation, Water chemistry of stream mouths, E. coli, fish shocking, macroinvertebrates, flying over the watershed, public education | Slides |
| 2013 | Water-Science Projects on: the Clam River plume, Road end monitoring for erosion, Green belt construction at Butch’s Tackle and Marine, Maury Creek study of macroinvertebrates, public education at the Antrim County Fair. | Slides Letter of Project Completion |
| 2012 | Water-Science Projects on: Macroinvertebrate Assessment of Shanty, Cold, and Finch Creeks, Storm water Flow Assessment of Shanty Creek, Aquatic Plant Survey of Lakes Bellaire, Clam, and Torch, Fish Population Survey in Shanty Creek, Clam River Plume Assessment, Observations of Fish Shelter Project, Public Awareness and Education | Slides Report |
| 2011 | Grass River Tributaries Restoration Assessment 2011 Findings | Report |
| 2010 | A Shoreline Algal Survey of Torch Lake, Clam Lake and Lake Bellaire | Report |
| 2009 | Survey of Food Chain Macro-Invertebrates: Torch Lake & Lake Bellaire 2009 | Slides Report |
| 2008 | Lake Bellaire Shoreline Survey | Report |
| 2007 | Glacial Relicts of the Elk River Chain of Lakes, Antrim, Kalkaska, and Grand Traverse County, Michigan | Report |
| 2006 | Analysis of Hydrolab Profiles for Torch Lake, Lake Bellaire, and Clam Lake in Antrim County, Michigan | Report |
| 2005 | 1.Total Phosphorus Input and Output of Torch Lake Plus the Watershed Boundary of Shanty Creek 2.Estimates of groundwater entering Torch Lake plus Cedar River watershed and land-use 3.Seasonal Variations of Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Specific Conductivity in Torch Lake Plus Finch Creek Watershed Maps | Report #1 Report #2 Report #3 |
| 2004 | Torch Lake — Flow Rates of Rivers and Tributaries | Report |
| 2003 | Beach Monitoring for E.Coli | Report |