Long time reader (year or so), first topic posting.

I am a UMI who has learned everything I know about leasing/gas/etc through the internet. Many helpful people here helped me wade through all the BS (200% penalty) floating around regarding leasing terms, what it means to go unleased, and much more, and for that, a big thank you to all who are regular contributors here.

What I'm asking for here is a tutorial or guideline for people like myself, who find themselves in the wilderness of being a UMI. I've heard people say that in order to be a good UMI, you have to be willing to be hands-on. I'm willing, I just need to know what I need to be looking out for.

My section has recently been pooled, unitized, and a surface location is being cleared to put a drill and begin drilling at sometime in the near future (months?). I have familiarized myself with SONRIS and know the serial number of the well that has a permit, so I will check on it regularly.

What I want to know is what I should be looking for, thinking about, checking up on, and doing. Maybe a checklist/timeline of things I need to do in order to be a responsible UMI who takes care of what I need taken care of. Maybe some can give advice on what I can expect over the next few months, as I imagine it'll be about a month before any drilling takes place, and several more months before they are done drilling, but I want to be sure I'm taking care of what needs to be done.

So far I've done the following:
1. Decided UMI was the path for me, so I signed no lease.
2. Received Unitization papers showing that my section was going to be pooled and unitized, along with the name they were going to give it..."HA RA" ...(generic)
3. After this, I followed sonris carefully for months for any updates on permits or drilling starting in my area.
4. Just recently found the Well Serial # of the well being drilled in my section, and I have gone to the physical site so I can check up on the progress in person, as well as via SONRIS.
5. ....?

It's about at this point that I need help determining what should be done in the future. Do I have nothing to do until the drilling is complete? What do I do then? Would contacting a lawyer for only a small piece of land (fraction of an acre) be worthwhile? Should I expect to remain a UMI for decades, or are there special rules that apply to unleased people regarding mineral rights? Anything else helpful you can think of? Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post...brevity isn't a strongpoint ;).