The Indiana Forests to Faucets: Native Landscapes for Clean Water project is a collaborative conservation initiative focused on protecting Lake Monroe by enhancing forest health and watershed function. This project supports large-scale, strategic, science-based restoration across the watershed to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff, and subsequent harmful algal blooms that threaten water quality and aquatic habitat.

 

Through partnerships with landowners, conservation agencies, and community organizations, the project will:

• Mitigate invasive plants on 20,000 acres of state-owned land

• Plant 120+ native trees

• Provide 12,000 native seedlings to area residents

• Advise 25 private landowners on best practices, encouraging voluntary conservation practices that provide long-term benefits for forest and watershed function

• Utilize over 800 volunteer hours for invasive Weed Wrangles, public outreach, and tree planting.

 

These nature-based solutions reduce erosion, improve soil health, slow stormwater runoff, and filter pollutants before they reach Lake Monroe —the primary drinking water source for over 140,000 Southern Indiana residents.

 

By targeting high-priority areas and educating area residents about how they can help protect the watershed, the initiative maximizes environmental benefits and improvements in water clarity, drinking water protection, and wildlife habitat.

 

Funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Forest Service’s Landscape Scale Restoration program, with over $213,000 in federal contributions, and matched by over $213,000 from non-federal sources.

 

Through this project, the Lake Monroe Water Fund is advancing landscape-scale restoration to ensure clean water, forest resilience, and a sustainable future for generations to come.