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. 

Walk with us or watch us. We'll be there!

FOLM is walking in the 4th of July parade in Bloomington and we need your help in making fish hats for the kids! Please join us on June 29th at The Pourhouse Cafe from 5-7 PM. 

The hats will already be traced on posterboard so all you'll have to do is cut and/or color them with us. Sip on some fair trade coffee (or my favorite iced chai) and hang out with your fellow friends of Lake Monroe.

There is no RSVP necessary for this event. Come and go as you please or just stop by and say, "Hey!"

Friends of Lake Monroe's monthly meetings are free and open to the public. Come join us in the board room at the City of Bloomington Utilities on 600 E Miller Dr at 6:30 PM.

Our guest speaker will be Michael Chavez, the Hoosier National Forest superintendent.
Parking is free and plentiful.

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here.

The Monroe Lake office of the US Army Corps of Engineers, in conjunction with Friends of Lake Monroe, is hosting an open house at 1 pm on Saturday June 17th.  Dave Cable, Middle Wabash Operations Manager and Monroe Lake staff, will be available to answer questions about the lake, its purposes, and history.  A tour of the control tower will also be included. No photos allowed within the control tower. The tour is limited to 25 people, but if there is a need, a morning session may be added.  Directions to the Lake Monroe office from the courthouse are here.

Space is limited so please sign up early!

Monroe County Parks and Recreation Department, Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, and the City of Bloomington Utilities Department are hosting a Hoosier Riverwatch workshop on Saturday, June 17 from 9 AM to 4 PM. 

This state-wide program, sponsored by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, teaches citizen volunteers how to monitor and maintain the water quality of streams, including their physical, biological, and chemical aspects.

Register by Wednesday, June 14: contact Monroe County Parks and Recreation at (812) 349-2800 or 501 N Morton St, Ste. 100. 

Friends of Lake Monroe invites you on a guided tour of the Lake Monroe watershed on June 3 from 10 am to 2:30 pm.  Join us for a scenic drive through the backwoods of Brown, Monroe and Jackson County.  Find out where the lake water comes from and see where it leaves the lake.

Bring your own lunch and beverage. Bloomington participants will meet in the Kmart parking lot by Bloomingfoods east to carpool.

Sign up by May 29th to ensure your spot.

Friends of Lake Monroe's monthly meetings are free and open to the public. Come join us in the board room at the City of Bloomington Utilities on 600 E Miller Dr at 6:30 PM.

Read minutes from past monthly meetings here.

Sherry Mitchell-Bruker will share her talk entitled "What can we do for Lake Monroe? Why should we care?" at Bloomington Green Drinks on May 24. The talk is a brief overview of what we know about water quality and the status of Lake Monroe and its watershed, the lake's importance to the community and ways that we can work to sustain the Lake for the future. 

Upland Banquet Hall. Doors open at 5:30 PM. More info on Bloomington Green Drinks here. We recommend giving them a $5 donation for all of their hard work putting together this event. Hope to see you there! 

The Friends of Lake Monroe invite you to our next meeting on June 27th from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Thomas Gallery on the Bloomington square, 107 N. College Ave.  The meeting will focus on water quality and data.  Our guest speaker will be Bill Jones, Professor Emeritus, IU SPEA.  Please come a few minutes early to meet us and chat.  We’re looking forward to seeing all of you and working together to support Lake Monroe.