October News From Friends of Lake Monroe

Field Days, Lake Monroe Day Report, and more!

Thank You For Celebrating Lake Monroe Day With Us! Lake Monroe Day yet again turned into a week of fun and celebration.  Thanks to everyone who attended our water treatment plant tours, pontoon ride, hike with the Sierra Club, Tour de Ramps, and our fabulous Lake Monroe Day Celebration at the Fields Clubhouse.  We had over 120 people join us for music, food, and friends including 12 new members!  We hope to see an even bigger crowd and even more dancing next year. Two Field Days This Fall Join us in Brown County on Thursday November 14 for a free breakfast and tour of Dean Manuel's farm.  Dean has added quite a few soil & water conservation practices to his beef cattle operation over the last few years.  Highlights include a recently reclaimed pasture, a heavy use area pad (HUAP), an access road between the HUAP and the barn, and a new pond.  Dean and his family have been living on the property (and off the grid) for over 25 years and they have tons of great stories to share.  Register by November 9 at https://www.friendsoflakemonroe.org/events-page/got-erosion-get-a-huap-livestock-field-day. Join us in Jackson County on Thursday November 21 at the Seymour High School Ag Science Facility for a free field day about planting cover crops with drones.  One big advantage of drone seeding is that the cover crop can be sown while the main crop is still growing.  This gives them a head start before the winter weather arrives.  We will take a look at a field that had soybeans growing when a cover crop of oats, radish, and crimson clover was seeded in September using drones.  Premier Ag will present video footage from the drone planting and an agronomist from WinField United will walk us through the fields post-harvest to see how the cover crops are growing and to discuss the many varieties of cover crops available today.  Optionally, stay for dinner at 6:00 with the Seymour chapter of Future Farmers of America. Register today at https://www.friendsoflakemonroe.org/events-page/drone-cover-crop-field-day. Septic Education at Houston Fall Festival Come and see us on Saturday October 12 at the Houston Fall Festival in northwestern Jackson County.   We will be unveiling our newly purchased septic system model and handing out information about septic maintenance.  There's also an amazing bake sale... Support Our Work - Donate Today! Septic Replacement Program in Monroe County Know anyone with a failing septic system?  Monroe County Government has made $975,000 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds available to Monroe County households for replacement of failing septic systems.  Failing septic systems are one source of bacteria and nutrient pollution in our lakes and streams.  This program will provide assistance for homes with an assessed value of $300,000 or less.  Learn more and apply today at https://forms.office.com/g/iCD8schLqJ. Two More Shoreline Cleanups We are down to our last two cleanup events of 2024!  We need 6 more people to join our special cleanup event on Sunday, October 13 from 2:00 to 4:30 at a new location off Friendship Road where North Fork Salt Creek enters Lake Monroe.  Can't make it?  Join us at Paynetown on Sunday, November 10th at 2:00.  Please register online at friendsoflakemonroe.org/events.   60th Anniversary Reception Septic Summit 2.0 Report Thank you to all who joined us for Septic Summit 2.0 on September 14th in Brown County.  Helping people understand how a septic system functions and the problems that poorly operating systems pose for our watershed is critical to keep Lake Monroe clean. We had a great panel discussion featuring Emily Faust with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM), Karl Glaze with Daviess County Health Department and the Indiana Onsite Wastewater Professionals Association, Ernie Reed with the Brown County Health Department, Tony Millsap with AM Inspection Services, and Clint Studebaker with Brown County Regional Sewer District.  A lot of Septic Summit 2.0 attendees were surprised to learn that: Brown County has roughly 7,600 households that are (or should be) on septic systems. Approximately 40% of these households have no public records regarding their septic systems.  Fabric softener, degreasers, and clay (bentonite)-containing laundry powders are bad for septic system function because they allow fats to migrate into the septic field instead of settling out in the tank.  Thank you to our partners including Brown County Regional Sewer District, Brown County Soil & Water Conservation District, and Lake Monroe Water Fund.  Special thanks to Clint Studebaker for organizing the event! Vote for Friends of Lake Monroe! Are you a Bloomingfoods Owner-Member? Friends of Lake Monroe is on the ballot to be one of eleven 2025 Positive Change recipients.  The program allows shoppers to "round up" at the register for a local nonprofit.   Please vote for us!  Elections are open through October 25th. https://www.bloomingfoods.coop/2024-election Free Soil Sampling Have a farm?  The Indiana State Department of Agriculture is once again offering a no-cost, soil sampling program for producers in the Mississippi River Basin, including all of southern Indiana and most of northern Indiana.  The program focuses on soil sampling and testing because it is a key component, and first step, of developing a plan for nutrient management. Row crop, pasture, hay and specialty crop fields located within Indiana’s portion of the Mississippi River Basin are all eligible.  Learn more and register by November 1st at https://bit.ly/3zhoGyH. Have a lawn or garden?  Free soil sampling is also still available for homeowners in Monroe, Brown, and Jackson Counties as part of an initiative to reduce nutrient runoff into Lake Monroe.  Learn more and register at https://www.lakemonroewaterfund.org/lawns-gardens-farms/. Become a Member! Friends of Lake Monroe depends on members like you to keep our organization strong.  Join today to help us keep the lake drinkable, swimmable, and fishable.  Individual membership starts at $25 annually. You can sign up on FLM's website here: https://www.friendsoflakemonroe.org/memberships. Whether or not you are a member, you are also welcome to financially support FLM's work through a one-time donation here: https://www.friendsoflakemonroe.org/donations. Thank you for your support!   Share Tweet Forward Below you'll see a link to update your subscription preferences or you may contact us at membership@friendsoflakemonroe.org Referenced links: https://www.friendsoflakemonroe.org   Copyright © 2022 Friends of Lake Monroe, All rights reserved.  You are receiving this email because you signed up to join Friends of Lake Monroe  Our mailing address is:  Friends of Lake Monroe PO Box 3145 Bloomington, In  47402 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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