Friends of Lakeside Lab, Inc.

Friends of Lakeside Lab, Inc. is a tax exempt, Iowa nonprofit corporation that was organized in 1994. The Friends' mission is to promote Lakeside as a community resource for water quality monitoring, research and environmental education. The members of the Board of Directors come predominantly from the Iowa Great Lakes community.

The Friends' first major capital project was to raise funds to build the Waitt Water Quality Laboratory, Lakeside's first year-round facility that also features environmental classrooms. This project had two major goals: (1) to improve water quality monitoring of the Iowa Great Lakes and other lakes and rivers in NW Iowa; and (2) to developf environmental education programs focusing on NW Iowa.  The building was dedicated on July 10, 1998.

On June 14, 2000, the Friends kicked off their endowment campaign with an event in the Waitt Lab. The goal of this campaign is to raise $2,000,000, of which more than $1,000,000 has been raised. The income from this endowment will be used to sustain and expand the environmental education and research programs conducted out of the Waitt Lab.

Anyone interested in contributing to the endowment should contact the Friends at the address given below to request additional information about the endowment campaign.

The Friends also fund merit scholarships for students enrolled in Lakeside's summer courses and provide support for an environmental education intern.

How to Become a Friend

Anyone can become a Friend. Friends get a semi-annual newsletter containing information about Lakeside's research program, summer courses, public programs and lectures, etc. All Friends' membership dues are used for student scholarships, water quality monitoring and research, and public and K-12 programs.

There are four classes of memberships:

Friend ($25)
Friendly Family ($35)
Good Friend ($100) and
Best Friend (more than $100)

If you would like to join us, please send a check payable to Friends of Lakeside Lab, Inc. to:

Friends of Lakeside Lab, Inc.
1838 Highway 86
Milford, IA 51351-7267

Phone: 712-337-3669 ext. 7

Email: lakesidejane@yahoo.com