September News from Friends of Lake MonroeLake Monroe Day Report, Houston South Project Update, Positive Change, Science Cruise Photos
Friends of Lake Monroe Celebrates Ten Years
Thank you to all who joined us for another fabulous Lake Monroe Day Celebration! This year marked 10 years since the organization's creation and we had a lot to celebrate. We also announced a big transition - Sherry Mitchell-Bruker is stepping down as board president at the end of the year. Friends of Lake Monroe would not exist without Sherry's tireless work over the last decade to make her ideas for protecting the lake a reality. We are extremely grateful for her impressive effort and are excited to welcome Lisa Townsend as our new board president starting in 2027. Here's to ten more years!
Federal District Court Halts Houston South Project
Friends of Lake Monroe has been raising concerns about the proposed Houston South Vegetation Management and Restoration Project for nearly a decade - concerns that the project would negatively impact water quality in Lake Monroe.
On September 8, 2026, Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, issued an order vacating the decision by the US Forest Service to proceed with the project.
This is the third time the court has concluded that the US Forest Service failed to adequately address environmental issues - and specifically impacts to Lake Monroe. This decision ends a seven-year legal battle to stop the logging and burning activities proposed across 13,500 acres of the Hoosier National Forest. The court will allow the US Forest Service to move forward with two modest "critical restoration activities" that repair some existing roads including increasing the size of a few road culverts.
In other Hoosier National Forest news, the US Forest Service is proposing the closure of Tower Ridge Road to motorized vehicles between Blackwell Horse Camp and the Grubb Ridge Trailhead (just west of Hunter's Creek Road). This would require amending the Forest Plan to remove the standard “Keep Tower Ridge Road and Hunter Creek Road open.”
Vote for FLM as Positive Change Recipient with Bloomingfoods
Friends of Lake Monroe is once again a candidate for the Bloomingfoods Positive Change program. If you're a co-op member, please vote for us as one of the eleven organizations that will be selected in 2027. When customers round up at the register, it provides funds to keep Lake Monroe swimmable, fishable, and drinkable.
Science Cruise A Success
We had a great time talking water quality monitoring as we cruised around Lake Monroe on August 6. Many thanks to Howard Webb and Christy Crandall for organizing, Jill Vance for offering great insights, and Two Herons Marina for a deep discount on the pontoon rental. Hope to do it again next year!
Bingo Brunch With Friends of Lake Monroe
Sherry Mitchell-Bruker was the celebrity host at Cardinal Spirits' Bingo Brunch on Sunday August 30th. It was a fun way to reach a new audience with our message about the importance of protecting Lake Monroe. If you have new outreach ideas, please send them our way!
Join one of our last two shoreline cleanups for the year, on the second Sunday at 2:00. Congratulations to Jacob Metzger (pictured kneeling) for being our Volunteer of the Year!
Do you live in the Lake Monroe watershed? Do you have a septic system? Have you pumped it in the last 3-5 years? Pumping is an important part of system maintenance. We are now offering 50% cost-share on septic tank pumping throughout the watershed, which includes parts of Brown, Monroe, and Jackson Counties.
Failing septic systems are one source of bacteria and nutrient pollution in the creeks and streams feeding Lake Monroe. Homeowners can help by making sure their systems are properly maintained.
Do you remember when we did our Sampling Blitz event and shared some of our water samples with the Indiana Geological and Water Survey? They were looking for mineral springs in the Lake Monroe watershed (and beyond). Their data has recently been updated and repackaged in a new portal with an improved dashboard. The Indiana Springs Data portal now has chemical analyses and photos from more than 100 springs around Indiana.
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.
