Lake County’s water quality monitoring program recently found an unexpected partner: senior citizens equipped with new computer skills. Thanks to an innovative partnership between its Environmental Services Department and local tech literacy volunteers, retired residents now play an invaluable role in tracking lake health through citizen science.
Mary Thompson, 73, never imagined she’d use spreadsheets as an environmental stewardship tool – let alone fear computers all her life – but now she logs water clarity readings at five lakes to track concerning trends and protect local watersheds.
Environmental scientists recognized a data entry bottleneck when volunteers began collecting samples and measurements but the department lacked resources to process this information efficiently. That is how our program began: by volunteering as a data entry clerk.
How It Works
Senior participants attend weekly computer literacy classes put on by IntelliSupport in Lake County aimed at:
- After becoming comfortable with technology, seniors are paired with active water sampling volunteers to learn basic spreadsheet skills
- Data entry best practices
- Simple data visualization
- Email communication
- Photo uploading
Once comfortable with technology, seniors are then paired with active water sampling volunteers to:
- Record and organize water quality measurements
- Track changes over time
- Upload photos of algae blooms or significant changes, and share these with environmental scientists
- Communicate the results to environmental specialists
Double Impact
The program achieves two critical community goals simultaneously:
- Empowering seniors with valuable digital skills they can apply in their everyday lives
- Supporting environmental conservation initiatives by improving data management practices
Environmental Services Director James Chen reports faster response times to potential water quality issues. “Senior volunteers sometimes spot patterns in data before our staff does and alert us of concerns that could impact water quality.”
As we look ahead, this pilot program’s success has garnered interest from neighboring counties. Plans are underway to expand this initiative, possibly creating a network of senior citizen scientists dedicated to protecting waterways.
For more information about volunteering as either a computer skills volunteer or water quality data processor, contact Lake County Environmental Services Department. It’s never too late to learn new skills or make a positive contribution in your community!
