Q9 Update – Funding Still Available for Conservation Projects
Of the $105,000 we had available for our Lake Monroe Watershed Conservation Cost-Share Program,
$40,160 was used to pay for five projects
$71,711 has been set aside for projects that are currently underway
$33,289 is available for future projects
Please reach out to coordinator Maggie Sullivan at watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.org or 812-558-0217 if you are interested in a free project consultation.
This program helps reduce the amount of sediment, nutrients, and fecal contamination reaching streams that feed into Lake Monroe. Many projects focus on controlling areas that are prone to erosion, like hardening areas where livestock gather by installing heavy use area pads or access roads. For cropland, planting cover crops in the fall after the main crop is harvested provides protection from soil erosion during the winter months. Other projects change land use to reduce soil erosion like changing for cropland to pasture (eliminating erosion from tillage for annual crops) or from pasture to wildlife habitat (eliminating erosion from heavy livestock use). Fencing animals out of streams and putting in an alternate water source reduces the amount of fecal matter (manure) that reaches the stream and eliminates streambank erosion caused by trampling.
Our five completed projects were:
The installation of a heavy use area pad, livestock waterer, and fencing to keep cattle out of North Fork Salt Creek (Brown County)
The conversion of a crop field to a pasture (Monroe County)
The construction of an access road connecting a heavy use area pad to a barn (Brown County)
The use of cover crops on more than 400 acres of cropland (Brown and Monroe Counties)
The conversion of a pasture to a native pollinator planting (Brown County)
It is very gratifying to have so much project diversity and so many enthusiastic participants. We hope to have a project installed in Jackson County this year as well as more projects in Brown and Monroe. We will also be working on a Septic Maintenance Cost-Share Program in Jackson County this fall with funding from the Raymond Foundation.
Spring means the beginning of our monthly shoreline cleanups at Paynetown. Visit our events page for details. Other events we are planning this year include a forestry workshop, a septic education workshop, a watershed tour, and a Lake Monroe Day celebration. Subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates.
