Pictured: wetland tour participants on the levee

Pictured: LMEF's board of directors dedicating a day towards strategic planning

As winter starts to draw near, we at the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund are reflecting on a year of transitions. The lake is ever-evolving, and so are we. We said thank you and farewell to outgoing President Debbie Palmer, and welcomed Adam Thada to the role. We said hello to our new data buoy, which will gather data from the lake 24/7. And we said goodbye to some invasive species!

But one constant from year-to-year is our need for support to sustain this work.

Will you help us close out the year strong with a donation? (click here to donate online; checks can also be mailed to our office to avoid processing fees)



We at LMEF want to offer multiple ways for our community to interact with the lake: through volunteer stream monitoring, public science talks, wetland tours, and advocacy. Please ensure that our efforts can continue this broad reach by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Fund. As a non-profit organization, LMEF's conservation efforts depend on your continued generosity and consideration.

Thank you for helping us keep Lake Maxinkuckee healthy and beautiful!

Long-time LMEF allies know how important our wetlands are at slowing water down and filtering out pollutants before they reach the lake, to say nothing of the critical habitat wetlands provide to all manner of plants and animals. The levee on the Kline wetland (pictured above) plays this role on Lake Maxinkuckee's southeast corner.

The deep, mucky soils of this area presented challenges to the levee's construction and maintenance. The center portion of the levee is floating, anchored to either side. We knew that after initial construction, a certain amount of settling was destined to take place, necessitating some additional fill to maintain the integrity of the structure.

Our survey measurements of the Kline levee this year have indicated that it is now time for another addition to the center of the levee. This operation is weather dependent and we are hoping to complete it in the first few months of 2025.

LMEF donors have made this proactive project possible. Thank you!

Is it déjà vu all over again with the zebra mussels? Read more at: "A herd of zebras, a bed of bivalves".