Volunteers make our work to protect and preserve Lake Leelanau possible. Do you want to do something meaningful with your time, join a community of people who share your love for Lake Leelanau and all it offers, and share your skills to help our mission? Learn about our current volunteer opportunities below!
Newest Opportunity
Summer Volunteer Opportunities
The summer is when a lot of our work happens, and when we need a lot of hands to make it happen! Sign up now to lend some of your summer time to help protect Lake Leelanau. Click the links below to learn more.
Committee or Outreach Support
The Lake Leelanau Lake Association (LLLA) has grown in the past few years, and so has its need for year-round volunteers and committee members. Right now, we are looking for help in the following areas.
If you would like to get involved in any of the activities above, please fill out our volunteer interest form below.
If you volunteered with us last year and would like to volunteer again but have not yet heard from your program lead, or if you have any questions in general, please email us at [email protected].
Volunteer Opportunities
Newest Volunteer Opportunity
Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program
This monitoring involves collecting samples of aquatic insects, which reveal important information about stream health.
Needed: Creek waders and stream-side support! Sure-footed volunteers are needed to wade into streams with nets and buckets to collect aquatic insects, while other volunteers are needed shoreside to pick through the collection into jars. Don't let the fear of wading through a stream keep you from participating, you can still help along shore!
When: October 9th and 10th, 2026, 10:00am - 12:00pm
- October 9th sampling at a stream on the northeast corner of the watershed
- October 10th sampling at two streams (in two groups) on the south and southeastern sections of the watershed
Skill Sets Required: No prior knowledge or experience is necessary. Kids and teens under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Summer Volunteer Opportunities
Community-Based Monitoring Program
Observe your own shoreline 2x/week or more when in residence, looking for sprigs of an invasive plant
PREVIOUSLY FOCUSED ON THE NORTH LAKE, BUT IS NOW FOR ALL HOMEOWNERS ON LAKE LEELANAU AND ITS TRIBUTARIES!
Needed: Waterfront owners willing to purposely survey their own property shoreline while in residence during the summer season
When: At least 2x/week in June, July, and August
Responsibilities: Walk and observe your own personal shoreline (in the morning with a cup of coffee or while you’re out kayaking) and report any suspicious plant that looks like Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) by sending a picture or two from your phone to our plant ID expert. This plant naturally fragments to reproduce, and those fragments routinely get washed up on shore.
Skill Sets Required: No technical knowledge required! Simple training aids will be furnished. All you need is a deep desire to help our team identify EWM in its early stages so we can immediately find and eradicate it, thereby ensuring EWM in Lake Leelanau remains in maintenance mode!
Please join our army of property owners and encourage your neighbors to do the same!
Committee or Outreach Support
Business Supporter Program Outreach Volunteer
Help LLLA promote and build a community of supporters by sustaining and strengthening relationships with businesses that share our commitment to safeguarding Lake Leelanau and the surrounding communities.
Needed: Individuals who are passionate about LLLA’s mission and can visit area businesses to solicit new or sustained business supporters, and/or individuals who are interested in helping to strengthen the program by developing community engagement opportunities for area businesses.
Roles Include:
Business Support Recruiter: Visit local businesses to share information about LLLA’s Business Supporter Program (BSP), follow up with additional information, and help onboard them into the program.
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- Time Commitment: ~5 hours/month, year-round, depending on availability for recruitment, ~1 hour per month for committee meetings
- Skill sets preferred: Good communicator, passionate about LLLA’s mission, familiar with LLLA’s activities, community-oriented, willing to get out and talk with business owners
Business Support Program Developer: Assist LLLA in developing the Business Supporter Program by attending monthly meetings and contributing towards the objective of engaging with the business community through education, communication, and events to support LLLA’s mission.
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- Time Commitment: ~ 1 hour per month for committee meetings, ~1 hour per month for offline program development
- Skill sets preferred: Leadership, community-oriented, ability to think from the perspective of the business community