April News from Friends of Lake MonroeShoreline cleanups, Friends Folk Fest, NAIAD, and more.
Volunteers Needed for Monthly Shoreline Cleanups
Spring has arrived and so have our monthly shoreline cleanups at Paynetown State Recreation Area! Join us on Sunday April 12 at 2:00 for our first event of the year. In May, we will switch to the second Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm.
Join us at the Cabin Lounge on Sunday April 12 from 1:00-6:00 for an afternoon of family-friendly local music. Enjoy acoustic folk tunes from The Hammer and The Hatchett, The Lowlanders, Summoning Circle, and Deep Country Dream String Band.
There is no cover charge but donations will be collected for Friends of Lake Monroe. Thank you to Matt Lundquist for organizing the event and to Mary Kate Oreovicz for the sunset photo!
Water Education Through Video Games at the Library
Did you know the Monroe County Public Library hosts a Casual Video Gamers Clubevery month? On April 25, the featured game is NAIAD, a relaxing adventure where players explore the fauna and flora of a mysterious river. Watershed Coordinator Maggie Sullivan will give a short demonstration with a watershed model to show how pollution gets washed into nearby streams and lakes.
We are excited to have over $200,000 available in our Conservation Cost-Share Program. These funds will be used for conservation projects in the Lake Monroe watershed. Past projects have included cover crops, water and sediment control basins (WASCOBs), pollinator plantings, fencing livestock out of streams, providing alternate watering sources for livestock, and installing heavy use area pads (HUAPs) where livestock gather.
What the heck is a HUAP? A HUAP, or Heavy Use Area Pad, is constructed with geotextile fabric at the bottom, then several inches of stone, and a top covering of agricultural lime. Combined, it makes a solid surface that can withstand lots of heavy trampling where animals gather. The farmer can also scrape off manure as it accumulates and apply it to fields as fertilizer or add it to a composting system.
If you know a farmer or landowner who might be interested in improving soil and water management on their property with a HUAP or another type of project, please direct them to watershed coordinator Maggie Sullivan at watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.org or 812-558-0217 for more information.
SWCD Annual Meetings
Spring is also the season of Soil & Water Conservation District Annual Meetings! We were honored to attend celebrations in Monroe, Brown, and Jackson Counties as well as the annual Ag Breakfast in Brown County. There is a lot of great conservation work being done in our area and we are proud to be part of it. We also appreciate the opportunity to share information about watershed protection and to network with our larger community. Every year we see an increased awareness in the importance of protecting Lake Monroe.
Get Involved
Interested in volunteering but not sure how? Contact our volunteer coordinator, Keith Bobay, at volunteer@friendsoflakemonroe!
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 is only $25 annually.
