Permanent link for Degrees at NMC, GVSU set "water person" up for success on May 4, 2022

To some people in Traverse City, especially K-12 students, Chelsea Cooper is known as the “water person.”

Cooper is the conservation technician for the Manistee Conservation District. Her passion for fresh water bodies and their habitats started when she was young. Two degrees and countless high-impact experiences at Northwestern Michigan College and Grand Valley State University have given her the skills to work in a field she loves.

Cooper graduated from Grand Valley State University’s Traverse City Regional Center last year. She earned an associate degree in freshwater studies from NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute in 2018.

“I grew up by a woodland pond and was just fascinated by the transitions in the seasons and what was growing there, but I never thought it would be a career,” Cooper said.

She got a start toward a career after looking at an NMC catalog, which detailed its freshwater studies major. “So, I enrolled and soon was spending a lot of time at the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute and it was amazing, even given that I had no background in biology or conservation,” Cooper said. “The center has a water quality lab and all this equipment I learned to use. We learned about Traverse City organizations in this field and heard from speakers about what a career in water science looks like.”

While at NMC, Cooper also participated in a study abroad program, traveling to Costa Rica to learn about sustainable farming and help test local drinking water. She also had an internship, working with the Long Lake Association on a water quality project.

Cooper started her own business, Protect Our Watersheds, with another NMC student, focused on providing curriculum about water and water activities to Traverse City Area Public Schools.

“Then the pandemic hit and we tried to offer virtual workshops, but it wasn’t working,” she said.

After a string of dog sitting jobs, the Manistee Conservation District hired Cooper last year. Her duties encapsulate prior internships and class projects.

“I’m the program manager for area lakes and streams, meaning I coordinate with local watersheds and offer education and outreach to area schools. I’m known as the water person,” she said.

Cooper transferred to GVSU in 2019 to complete a bachelor’s degree when she noticed many job postings required that degree. She enrolled in GVSU’s Integrative Studies program, which allows students to choose their own path to degree completion.

“I was very happy Grand Valley accepted all my credits and offered a bachelor of science degree. That was important to me. I was able to build a program, mine was in freshwater preservation and sustainability,” she said.

Her capstone project continues to help Cooper’s workplace. She created a computer program, MNOH (minnow), using standard Microsoft Office programs to more efficiently collect data in the field. Cooper created a Google form to input data and automatically populate a spreadsheet, saying it streamlines the process.

“If I spend three hours collecting data and two hours creating a spreadsheet using our old method, MNOH has cut my time in half,” she said.

By Michele Coffill

Posted on Permanent link for Degrees at NMC, GVSU set "water person" up for success on May 4, 2022.