Lots of updates this month, so be sure to read all the way to the end!

If you are unsure if you have made your contribution for 2025, please e-mail (LMEC@lakemax.org), text, or call us (574-842-3686) and we can verify for you.

Donors of any amount receive our twice-a-year newsletters in the mail. All donors are listed in our winter mailing (unless anonymous).

The work of LMEF is funded by you - the community. All contributions go towards our work of keeping Lake Maxinkuckee healthy. LMEF, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and contributions are tax-deductible.


You can donate online at this link, or mail a check to P.O. Box 187 in Culver (must be post-marked by 12/31).

Thank you!

You've heard us talk a lot about aquifers (on the blog), the groundwater that we rely on for so much. We are happy to announce that LMEF was recently awarded a $32,400 grant from the Ralph C. Vonnegut, Jr. Fund at the Marshall County Community Foundation. We will be conducting a scientific investigation of the aquifer beneath the Lake Maxinkuckee watershed!


This study will give us our first real look at the health, size, and behavior of the aquifer that supports our lake, our homes, and our community.


We have selected Peerless Midwest, Inc. to conduct Phase 1 of the study, a desktop review of all available information on groundwater beneath the Lake Maxinkuckee watershed. The details of Phase 2 of the study will be determined from the results of Phase 1.

Stay tuned!

Our office recently received a photo from an LMEF donor who noticed some construction activity near a waterway in the Lake Maxinkuckee watershed. I was a little surprised, as I try to monitor the permit applications that come through the state agencies (DNR and IDEM).

After some phone calls, I learned that the necessary permits were not obtained for the work. In the course of the conversations, I also had the chance to engage the project stakeholders on the importance of the watershed’s streams, wetlands, and springs to the health of the lake, as well as the importance of our permitting systems.

Water regulations change over time and can be confusing. Fortunately, the State of Indiana has created the Indiana Waterways Inquiry Request Form. If you have any work around floodplains, wetlands, lakes, or streams, start at that page, and they will quickly guide you through which permits or regulations may be applicable. Save yourself a lot of expense and grief by starting there first. 

Click here to read more about the recent ice heave at the town park...