Volunteers are essential to fulfilling the mission of Lake Stewards of Maine (LSM) by monitoring their lakes. But volunteers also play a critical role administrating LSM programs through the all-volunteer Board of Directors and Volunteer Coordinators. LSM has two types of Coordinators:
Regional Coordinators maintain contact with volunteers, organize re-certification workshops, and respond to requests from volunteers.
Data Coordinators enter water quality data from volunteer data forms into the LSM’s LakeData database program.
Most of the 16 counties in Maine have their own Coordinator (LSM staff covers those that don’t), and there are several local organizations that function as Regional Coordinator for volunteers in their area. In addition to their role of working with volunteers, Coordinators also provide feedback and insight to LSM staff. Typically Coordinators volunteer about 25 hours each year which, as a whole, saves the program over $15,000 annually!
