Q12 UPDATE - ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS

We are reaching the end of our first 319 watershed management plan implementation grant and are very pleased to announce that we have received a second 319 implementation grant to continue our work. The second grant will run from December 2025 through November 2028 and will provide funding for the watershed coordinator position, $180,000 in conservation cost-share projects, and continued outreach efforts. Our outreach programs include workshops, mailers, tabling at events, social media updates, and press releases. The ultimate goal is to encourage everyone to actively protect water quality.

This fall we sent out an educational mailer to approximately 9,000 watershed residents with information about stream stewardship and how to protect water quality. Strategies for stream protection include

• Don’t mow in the “buffer” zone along the stream – let the vegetation grow tall

• Do plant a buffer of native shrubs and flowers along the stream – native plants offer have deeper roots for even more streambank stabilization (plus it provides better wildlife habitat)

• Do plant trees near the stream if you can – they provide shade, keeping water cool in the summer and increasing dissolved oxygen levels

• Do remove trash – trash is easily blown or washed into the stream where it poses a threat to water quality and wildlife

• Don’t dump anything – yard waste may be natural but in streams it decomposes and uses up oxygen

• Do maintain septic systems – septic tanks should be pumped every 3-5 years to help prevent failures that can dump septic waste into our streams

Our Conservation Cost-Share Program is still available. We currently have $17,500 available for soil and water conservation projects and will have an additional $180,000 available starting in 2026. Please reach out to coordinator Maggie Sullivan at watershed@friendsoflakemonroe.org or 812-558-0217 if you are interested in a free project consultation.