Friends of Lake Monroe envisions a community that appreciates, sustains and enjoys the lake and its watershed to ensure that our streams and lake are drinkable, swimmable and fishable. The purpose of Lake Monroe Day is to increase local awareness and support for our work in protecting water quality in Lake Monroe and its watershed. Lake Monroe Week events included a Lake Monroe Day celebration at the Upland Wood Shop, two shoreline cleanups at Paynetown State Recreation Area, a kayak tour with Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana, a pontoon trip with DNR Naturalist Jill Vance, a station at the Tours de Ramps bicycle ride, farmers market tabling and youth education at Wonderlab.
Many thanks to the Bloomington Rotary Club for sponsoring Lake Monroe Day this year! The Rotary Club provided both financial and volunteer support for the week's events. Shown here are Rotary volunteers Jim Bright, David Meyer, Sally Gaskill, Peggy and Richard Frisbie, and Mark Peterson helping with a shoreline cleanup at Paynetown.
Lake Monroe Day serves as an opportunity to further engage local residents and to enhance relationships with our key partners and members including the City of Bloomington, Monroe County Commissioners, Lake Monroe Sailing Association, Sassafras Audubon Society, Big Brothers Big Sisters of South-Central Indiana, Wonderlab, and the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County.
On September 17, 2023, we brought together community organizations, residents and FLM members across the watershed at the Upland Woond Shop to celebrate and recognize the importance of Lake Monroe.
We were joined at the Upland event by speakers Monroe County Commissioner Julie Thomas, State Representative Dave Hall, Two Herons Marina Owner Tom Greeman and City of Bloomington Utilities Director Vic Kelson. Door prizes included a free pontoon rental from Two Herons Marina, a photo session from Kip May Photography, a sailing outing from Lake Monroe Sailing Association, a gift bucket of natural cleaning supplies from Drift Botanicals, and a beautiful framed photograph from Kriste Lindberg Photography.
FLM President, Sherry Mitchell-Bruker led a group of 8 members of Big Brothers Big Bisters and two new FLM members on a kayak trip. Participants learned about lake temperature stratification and harmful blue green algae blooms. The little brothers and sisters measured turbidity, ph and temperature/depth profiles. Our big brother/big sister participants enjoyed their time out on the water and highlighted that they liked the activity we planned for them.
Our members joined Rotary Club volunteers for an evening cruise on Lake Monroe with Naturalist Jill Vance and Captain Tom Greeman.
Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Lake Monroe Day all week!
On Friday October 20th, we will partner with the Monroe County Soil and Water Conservation District to host a field day at Valley View Farms just west of Bloomington. This event is designed to showcase the conservation efforts of Clint and Justin Conard who are continuing a legacy started by their grandfather Dale Conard. Learn how these third generation grain and livestock farmers utilize cover crops, no till planting, and precision agriculture to support healthy soil and clean water. Register by October 10th to reserve your FREE lunch. We will also be promoting our conservation cost-share program. Contact Maggie Sullivan at 812-558-0217 or watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.orgfor more information.
Please join us October 20th to learn about soil and water conservation!
Our Wondrous Watershed -
Exhibit Opening November 3rd
How well do you know the Lake Monroe watershed? Many are surprised to find that the City of Bloomington lies outside our watershed. Friends of Lake Monroe is pleased to present Our Wondrous Watershed, a new photo exhibit featuring work by fourteen members of the Bloomington Photography Club. Photos in the exhibit were captured in the Lake Monroe watershed, an area spanning more than 440 square miles, reaching into five counties. Most of the watershed is beautiful and rugged, including Yellowwood State Forest, Brown County State Park, and the Charles C. Deam Wilderness.
Paynetown by Don Waters
Attendees will be treated to stunning imagery ranging from macro-photography to sweeping landscapes. Fourteen members of the Bloomington Photography Club had work selected for the exhibit including Craig Barton, Raouf Bishay, Becca Cambridge, Tom Duffy, Deanilee Deckard, Juliet Frey, Linda Harl, Kriste Lindberg, Tanya Kuzima, Bruce McLaren, Cheryl Molin, Erin Roberts, Dorothyann Strange, and Don Waters. The exhibit also marks the 7th anniversary of Friends of Lake Monroe, which was established in 2016 to support water quality and sustainable recreation.
Salsify Fantasy by Tom Duffy
Our Wondrous Watershed opens Friday, November 3rd at the Brick Room Gallery, 107 N College Avenue, and will be open from 5 to 8 PM each Friday during the month of November. For more information on the exhibit, contact Jim Krause, development@FriendsOfLakeMonroe.org. For more information on The Bloomington Photography Club, visit: http://bloomingtonphotoclub.org.
Or take 5-gallon bucket challenge. Bring a 5-gallon bucket with you to the lake Oct 16-22 and fill it with trash… and you could win one of two deluxe “boat bags” from DNR for holding trash and recyclables! To be added to the prize drawing, simply email 3 photos (2 in-progress photos of you picking up trash, and 1 photo of the filled bucket) tojvance@dnr.in.gov by October 23 (limited to one entry per household).
Our last Shoreline Cleanup for 2023 will be on Sunday November 19th from 2:00 to 4:00 at Paynetown State Recreation Area. Many thanks to volunteer Richard Harris for another year of coordinating our cleanup events.
Proposed Expansion of Deam Wilderness
On a brisk Saturday morning a group of environmental stalwarts gathered to hear from Jeff Stant, director of Indiana Forest Alliance, and Josh Davis, aide to Senator Mike Braun, about a proposed expansion of the Charles Deam Wilderness in Hoosier National Forest. Senator Braun has introduced the “Benjamin Harrison National Recreation Area and Wilderness Establishment Act of 2023”. This act establishes 29,382 acres within Hoosier National Forest as a National Recreation Area and sets aside an additional 15,300 acres as wilderness, more than doubling the size of the existing 12,472 acre Deam Wilderness.
This is an important step for those of us concerned about Lake Monroe water quality. In addition to managing hunting, trapping, fishing and other recreational uses, the proposed recreation area would be managed “in a manner that ensures the protection of the water quality of the public water supply of Monroe Reservoir”. The Act specifies that a management plan for the recreation area will be developed that includes measures to prevent degradation of the public water supply provided by Monroe Reservoir. This is an important bill that we should all work to support as it moves through Congress. We need support from local government, state representatives, and particularly Senator Todd Young and Representative Erin Houchin, who we hope will co-sponsor this bill. So let’s start by thanking Indiana Forest Alliance for their exhaustive efforts to bring this bill forward and to Senator Mike Braun for his sponsorship. We hope that in the coming months we will see this bill enacted and the plans for protecting our water quality put into action.
New Website
Friends of Lake Monroe recently launched an updated website courtesy of Socially Up. Many thanks to Regina and team for helping us switch to a platform that is easy to edit and makes it easy for members to join, donate, volunteer, and otherwise get involved!
Lawn and Garden Care Survey
+ Free Soil Testing
One way to reduce the amount of nutrients in Lake Monroe is to support homeowners in using less fertilizer on their lawns and gardens. Less fertilizer runoff means fewer nutrients that can feed algal blooms in our waterways. But how do we convince homeowners to change? The Lake Monroe Water Fund is working with IU students on a public relations campaign about soil testing to reduce fertilizer use and wants feedback from prospective participants. Please take a few minutes to complete their survey: https://forms.gle/NHhdha235aTqY9Ar7
Do you live in the watershed? (Check out this interactive map if you're not sure.) The Lake Monroe Water Fund is currently working with the Monroe County and Brown County Soil and Water Conservation Districts to offer FREE soil testing for lawns and gardens in the watershed. This is made possible through generous funding from The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. For information about receiving a FREE soil test, please reach out to the Monroe County SWCD or the Brown County SWCD. Jackson County residents can participate though either the Monroe or Brown County SWCD.
In 1988, Bloomington was in the middle of the worst drought in 50 years but City of Bloomington Utilities reassured its residents that there was plenty of water and no need to cut back on lawn watering. Mike Leonard published an article in the Herald Telephone reporting that this was a shock for older residents who remembered the regular water shortages that plagued Bloomington before Lake Monroe was completed in 1966. Many residents relied on cisterns or purchased water from "water wagons" that came through town.
Wells were unreliable and many of the lakes that the city tried to develop as water sources failed due to the karst geology - Twin Lakes, Weimer Lake, and Leonard Springs. (Photo: Bloomington's first Water Works Plant at Twin Lakes.)
Rationing was common in the summertime, especially during drought years. Even when Griffy Lake and Lake Lemon proved to hold water reliably, they were barely enough to keep up with demand during dry periods. It was only with the construction of Lake Monroe that Bloomington had a consistently reliable source of water.
Today we tend to take our water for granted but it is important to remember that Lake Monroe is our only option for providing the quantity (and quality) of water that our community requires. There is no backup plan. Indiana University almost relocated twice due largely to water limitations. While it's difficult to imagine, the loss of Lake Monroe would mean the loss of life in Monroe County as we know it. We have to protect our lake to ensure the future of our city and county.
Source: "Lifetime city residents remember when water was a scarce commodity" by Mike Leonard published June 16, 1988 in The Herald-Telephone. Accessible through Herald Times Online for patrons of the Monroe County Public Library: https://mcpl.info/resources/herald-times-online
For more information about the history of water struggles in Bloomington, check out this speech delivered in 2017 on the 50th anniversary of the Monroe [Drinking] Water Treatment Plant: https://bloomington.in.gov/mayor/speeches/2017/09/18/2864
Board Member Recruitment
We are looking to fill two open positions on the Friends of Lake Monroe Board of Directors. The Board needs a variety of skills, particularly in the areas of development, fundraising, grant writing, and media expertise. We encourage anyone passionate about the lake to consider applying. Board members are expected to attend monthly board meetings (approximately 2 hours each) and serve as an officer or on a committee. Friends of Lake Monroe values diversity and equal opportunity and strives to reflect these values in our board and our actions.
Learn more and apply today! We accept and review applications on a rolling basis.
Get Involved
Interested in volunteering but not sure how? Contact our volunteer coordinator, Keith Bobay, at volunteer@friendsoflakemonroe!
Want to help with event planning or member recruitment? Contact Development Committee Chair Jim Krause atdevelopment@friendsoflakemonroe.org
Curious about the Science Committee, our Conservation Cost-Share Program, or anything else watershed related? Contact Watershed Coordinator Maggie Sullivan at watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.org.
Friends of Lake Monroe depends on members like you to keep our organization strong. Join today and enjoy one of the great member-only events we have planned this spring. Memberships are available at several levels:
Whether or not you are a member, you are also welcome to financially support FLM's work through a one-time or recurring donation here: https://www.friendsoflakemonroe.org/donations.
