Q4 Update – Wrapping Up Year One of our Conservation Cost-Share Program
One year into our voluntary Conservation Cost-Share Program we have approved five projects, allocating $45,000 of the available $90,000 in grant funds. Our committee meets again in December and could approve an additional $30,000 in projects. If so, we will have $15,000 remaining to distribute in 2024. Anyone seeking more information can contact Watershed Coordinator Maggie Sullivan at 812-558-0217 or watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.org for a free consultation.
Highlights from 2024:
Approved 5 projects which will utilize $45,000 of the $90,000 in available grant funds
Met with 25 interested landowners
Contacted 2,044 agricultural landowners with an educational mailer about conservation practices
Tabled at 7 local events including Soil & Water annual meetings, county fairs, and the Houston Fall Festival
Presented to 8 local government groups including county commissioners, SWCD boards, and the City of Bloomington Utilities Service Board
We planned an agricultural field day to showcase the planting of cover crops but the event was canceled due to an emergency at the host farm. They have graciously agreed to hold an event next spring which will focus on how to terminate cover crops. We also plan to organize two other field days. Let us know if there is a topic or practice that you would like to see.
Our final event this year will be “Fireside Chat: Protecting Water Quality in Brown County” on Monday December 4th at 1:00 the Nashville Public Library. This event is co-hosted by the Brown County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Friends of Lake Monroe with special guest Bill Brown from the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute. We will discuss work being done currently in Brown County to protect water quality and opportunities for future projects.
There is a lot of funding available right now for conservation work and we are excited to have amazing community partners that help us match the right people to the right programs. We look forward to an even busier 2024.
