Join us this spring at your county's Soil & Water Conservation District (SWCD) Annual Meeting! Enjoy food, friends, and information about soil and water protection.
Jackson Co. SWCD Annual Meeting
Thursday, March 7 at 6:30pm, Free
Pewter Hall in Brownstown
Featured Speaker Sara Creech
Call (812) 358-2367 ext. 3 for tickets
Brown Co. SWCD Annual Meeting
Saturday, March 9 at 12:00pm, $5
Brown County Historical Society
Featured Speaker Ken Keffer
Call (812) 988-2211 for tickets
Monroe Co. SWCD 80th(!!) Annual Meeting
Saturday, March 23 at 9:00am, $15
Ivy Tech Bloomington Shreve Hall
Featured Speaker Hunter Smith
Call (812) 778-9948 for tickets or https://www.monroecoswcd.org/80th-annual-meeting.html
First Conservation Project Complete!
We are pleased to announce the completion of our first project through the Lake Monroe Watershed Conservation Cost-Share Program! Todd Sanders has a small homestead raising cattle and chickens in Brown County along North Fork Salt Creek. He used funds from the program to address soil erosion concerns and to protect the creek. Specifically, he installed fencing to keep cattle out of the creek, added a new frost-free watering system, and constructed a heavy use area protection pad around the new waterer to protect the soil.
The farm already has a very healthy riparian buffer along Salt Creek where he has allowed the native vegetation to grow freely. These plants help stabilize the creek bank with their roots, help filter runoff before it reaches the creek, and provide excellent habitat for wildlife. Adding the fence will further protect the creek and its banks.
Check out the quarterly update on our website for more details about this project and other projects underway through our program. We still have $35,000 in funding available and continue to accept applications. Anyone seeking more information can contact Watershed Coordinator Maggie Sullivan at 812-558-0217 or watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.org for a free consultation.
On Saturday March 2, the Friends of Lake Monroe Board of Directors and Advisory Board met at Fourwinds to lay out a strategic plan for the next three years. This was a great opportunity to celebrate all the work that FLM has done over the last seven and a half years while also setting goals, objectives, and strategies for moving forward. We remain committed to protecting and improving water quality in the lake through implementation of the watershed management plan, education of our community about the importance of Lake Monroe, and strengthening our organization. Look for more details about our plans for the next three years in a future email.
Shoreline Cleanups
It is just about time to resume our regular monthly shoreline cleanups at Paynetown State Recreation Area. Our April cleanup will be on a Sunday afternoon where we anticipate having extra trash to clean up from the record crowds expected for the eclipse. We will switch to Thursday evenings for the summer months. Please register so we can send an update if there are cancellations due to weather.
Friends of Lake Monroe depends on members like you to keep our organization strong. Join today and enjoy one of the great member-only events we have planned this spring. Memberships are available at several levels:
