Monroe Lake is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with a number of special programs. September’s events include tours and hikes of the area. Some events require registration while others do not.

Special tours will be offered of the Monroe Water Treatment Plant on Sunday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. and noon. Each tour is limited to 12 people and advance registration is required at friendsoflakemonroe.org/events-page.

Hikers can explore some of the trails around the lake on Thursday, Sept. 12. A three-hour hike with the Friends of Lake Monroe and the Sierra Club meets at the Hickory Ridge Tower in the Deam Wilderness Area at 9:30 a.m. Register for this hike at tinyurl.com/trail19hike-2024. The Sycamore Land Trust will then offer a two-hour hike at its Branigin Peninsula Nature Preserve at 2 p.m., highlighting rough green snake surveys and other research. Register for the hike at sycamorelandtrust.org/bulletin-board/events-calendar.

A second two-hour hike at Branigin Nature Preserve takes place on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m., along the newly extended Peninsula Trail. Registration is required at sycamorelandtrust.org/bulletin-board/events-calendar.

On Sunday, Sept. 15, the Friends of Lake Monroe will host a “Lake Monroe Day” celebration from 5 to 8 p.m. at Clubhouse at the Fields in Bloomington. There will be live music by Busman’s Holiday, heavy appetizers, door prizes, and a cash bar. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at friendsoflakemonroe.org/events-page.

Other anniversary events during September include Salt Creek Valley History Week, a trash cleanup at Paynetown SRA, and resource management hikes in Monroe Lake’s Stillwater-Northfork Waterfowl Resting Area. For a full list of anniversary events, visit tinyurl.com/monroelake60.

Questions should be directed to Jill Vance at the Paynetown Activity Center, 812-837-9967 or jvance@dnr.IN.gov.

To view more DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.