Lakes don’t want to be lakes.  They were created by nature.  Over time, if not protected, sediment plants and debris will fill them in, and make them land once more.

–          Jody Arthur, Indiana Dept. of Enviromental Management (2009)

The Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Council

has been working in our community for over three decades and remains focused on the ecological balance of a lake that generations have looked to for recreation, fitness and pleasure.

Covering 1,864 acres, with eleven miles of shoreline, twenty-one underground springs and four tributaries, our lake is the second largest in the state.  In the ‘70’s, though, the lake was facing a decline due to pollution.  The “crystal water” as the Potowatomi had named it was in trouble.

Enter the Lake Management Committee, set up by action taken at a Culver Plan Commission meeting in 1981.  A few years later, the group had grown to both an environmental fund, the LMEF, and an environmental council, LMEC, the first functioning conservation network for the area.  The organization subsequently took the lead in several key conservation efforts around the lake.  These projects include the formation of three wetlands and most recently a core sampling study that will help to develop a timeline of the last two to three hundred years in the lake, and determine the impact of the group’s efforts.  The Center for Culver History is proud to collaborate with LMEC on this wonderful, interactive exhibit.  Photos may be viewed in the slideshow at the end of this post.

The exhibit tells the story of our lake from its glacial beginnings to the problems and issues it has faced past and present.  Loads of interactive displays help to educate exhibit-goers on the flora and fauna as well as the dynamics of the lake itself.  Displays also cover the group’s history as caretakers protecting and preserving the lake over the last thirty two years.

There will be an informal reception from 4 – 6 p.m. on Friday, July 26th with LMEF/LMEC members, and members of the public are encouraged to stop in and say hello.  Light refreshments will be available for the reception.

Kids and families are welcome to enjoy all the interactive exhibits and receive free coloring books and posters courtesy of Lake Maxinkuckee Environmental Council.  Exhibits include magnifying boxes for bug identification, an animal tracks game, instruction on fishing pole assembly and an Enviroscape, on loan from the DNR, a hands-on model watershed that teaches kids how a lake ties the water cycle together.

The exhibit is free and open to the public, and may be viewed during museum hours at the Center for Culver History, in the basement of the historic Carnegie library building, Tuesdays through Fridays from noon – 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  For more infomation, contact us by telelphone at (574) 842 2941, ext. 218, or via e-mail, historyofculver@gmail.com or LMEC@lakemax.org.

Click on the image to advance to next slide.