Save the Date for a Kayak or Canoe trip with fellow Friends and a tasty lake-side picnic!

Details to come. 

The Friends of Lake Monroe's first meeting of 2018 will take place Thursday, January 25, at the Monroe County Public Library, Room 2A in Bloomington, IN from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, and we are pleased to announce that Ms. Cara Bergschneider, District Conservationist with Natural Resources Conservation Service, will give a talk at our January public meeting. She will be sharing agricultural best practices and the role the NRCS plays in protecting water quality.

We will also discuss upcoming events in 2018, including the possibility of a Kayak Trip! 

Hope to see you there.

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here.

The Friends of Lake Monroe is pleased to announce that both Dave Rollo, Bloomington City Council Representative, and Duane McCoy, Indiana DNR Forester, will present at this month's public meeting.

Mr. Rollo will talk about the recent proposed Lake Monroe amendment to the City of Bloomington's Comprehensive Plan. Mr. McCoy will talk about Best Management Practices in Indiana State Forests.

Our final meeting of 2017 will take place Thursday, November 30, 2017 at the Monroe County Public Library, Room 2A in Bloomington, IN from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.  

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here.

*This is not a FOLM event, but we'll be there! Check it out.

For a one-day symposium on

Modified Flows and their Impact on Stream and Lake Ecosystems

Co-sponsored by the Indiana Water Monitoring Council and the Indiana Water Resources Association on Tuesday, November 28, 2017

When & Where

Date: Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.)

Location: Indiana Government Center South, Conference Rooms B & C

Address: 302 W Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46204     

InWMC Web site: http://www.inwmc.org/

Details

This symposium will feature presentations by those working with new and innovative monitoring techniques and technologies in water resources monitoring. And as always, there will be great opportunities for networking during breaks and lunch. 

There are no fees to attend the symposium, however, registration is required. We’re working now to finalize the agenda. In the meantime, mark your calendar so you won’t miss this event and watch your email – we’ll let you know right away when registration begins.

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Friends of Lake Monroe is pleased to announce that both Jill Vance, Interpretive Naturalist, and John Kennard, Brown County Environmental Health Department Supervisor, will present at this month's public meeting.

Ms. Vance will talk about the guidelines our group must follow in order to “adopt-a-shoreline” along Lake Monroe.  Mr. Kennard will give a lively talk about the importance of septic awareness and its association with protecting our watershed.  Handouts will be distributed.

The public of all ages is encouraged to attend, share their ideas, and bring their questions.

The meeting will take place Thursday, October 26, 2017 at the Brown County Public Library in Nashville, IN from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm in Room B.  A convenient parking lot just outside the meeting room is available at end of east Gould Street.

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here.

The Friends of Lake Monroe is sponsoring a shoreline cleanup to pick up litter along the banks of Lake Monroe. If you missed the DNR event, or just want to do more, join us for this rewarding activity!  This event will occur in area(s) accessible by car and foot. Participants should wear durable shoes and long pants and anticipate some rugged terrain. Gloves will be available, but participants are asked to bring their own if possible. Drinking water will be provided, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own to minimize waste.

Volunteers will assemble at a location in or near Bloomington to carpool to the cleanup location. The location (TBD) and a Liability Waiver will be emailed to participants after registration and in advance of the event. Volunteers should expect to commit 2.5 to 3 hours for the cleanup.

Update: The original date of this trip was September 21. It has been rescheduled to October 3 to resolve technical difficulties with equipment.

The Friends of Lake Monroe and IU School of Public Environmental Affairs invites you to a water quality sampling demonstration on Lake Monroe, Tuesday, October 3 from 4-7 pm. 

Melissa Laney, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Indiana Clean Lakes Program will demonstrate the following techniques and equipment:

• Temperature/dissolved oxygen/conductivity profiles
• 1% light level using a Li-Cor light meter
• Plankton tow nets
• Van dorn sampler to collect hypolimnetic water
• Kemmerer sampler to collect hypolimnetic water
• Integrated sampler to collect epilimnetic water
• Filter equipment for Chlorophyll-a and Orthophosphate (OP)
• Secchi Disks for water clarity
• a sediment corer 

Capacity is limited, so sign up ASAP if you would like to attend this fun and interesting event.

Friends of Lake Monroe's monthly meetings are free and open to the public. Come join us in the board room at the Monroe County Public Library Meeting Room 2A from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. 

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here

Come by our table at the Monroe Water Treatment Plant celebration!

As a continuation of our July class, SPEA Senior Lecturer Melissa Laney is hosting a Limnology workshop on September 7th from 6:30-8:30 PM at the City of Bloomington Utilities at 600 E. Miller Drive.

If you missed Part I, we recommend you contact us before planning to attend so we can catch you up.

Did you know that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources hosts an Annual Lake Monroe Cleanup? It's on September 10 from 1:30 to 5:30 PM!

At the end of the busy summer recreation season, there is a lot of trash left behind. Join our friends at the DNR and help restore the lake to an inviting habitat for both people and wildlife. You'll be taken by boat to some hard-to-reach areas around the whole lake.

Interested in volunteering? Learn more on the DNR website.

Friends of Lake Monroe's monthly meetings are free and open to the public. Come join us in the board room at the Brown County Library Room B from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

We are pleased to announce that Dave Seastrom, a long time Brown County resident, will be our guest speaker.  Dave will address watershed issues in Brown County and how these have changed during his tenure in the County. We will also talk about our mission with respect to Brown County.  There will be a listening session in which participants are encouraged to talk about their relationship to Lake Monroe and the watershed.  

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here.

Learn about Limnology from an expert! SPEA Senior Lecturer Melissa Laney is hosting a workshop on July 13th from 6:30-8:30 PM at the City of Bloomington Utilities at 600 E. Miller Drive.

Lake Monroe provides drinking water for over 100,000 people, and the city has a clear interest in protecting the water quality of the lake. Join Friends of Lake Monroe on a tour of the City of Bloomington Water Treatment Plant. Space is full for this event.