Brookville Lake: Bluebirds, Walleye, and 50 Years of Lake Life
Brookville Lake is one of Indiana's most popular state properties. With its location near Cincinnati, the reservoir attracts visitors from Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. In 2025, the reservoir property celebrated its 50th anniversary. At 50 years old, this property has a lot of experience! I enjoyed hiking the trails, learning about the bluebird boxes scattered all over the park, and discovering how they welcome people from all over the tri-state area.
IN the Podcast Episode
I interviewed two staff members and learned about the last 50 years of Brookville Lake. I learned about the bluebird boxes, the migration of sandhill cranes and pelicans, and how the state’s walleye production begins at Brookville Lake. I also learned about the way they incorporate prescribed fires to manage resources. The staff told me the park’s history – from the ancient Glidewell Mounds to the communities who lived here fifty years ago. Finally, I heard all about the mountain biking trails and Friends group projects, all managed by volunteers who love the park.
Park Features
Brookville Lake is around 16,000 acres with a lake that's 30 feet deep, but can get up to 116 feet in a rainy year! The recreation areas have 11 hiking trails with some also for biking, two state recreation areas with beaches and campgrounds, four marinas, 10 boat ramps, and a shooting range. Plus, this park has 127 bluebird boxes and has fledged well over 10,000 bluebirds and just as many tree swallows. It's a migration stop for tens of thousands of sandhill cranes every season. The park offers hunting and fishing as well.
There are two campgrounds: Mounds and Quakertown. Mounds is a more social campground, while Quakertown is a little quieter now. Mounds is where you'll find more trails, the Glidewell Mound, beach, and two boat ramps. Quakertown also has a beach, marina, and playground near the camping, which makes it an ideal spot for programs.
Making a Home for Bluebirds
One feature of Brookville Lake that makes it stand out is the number of bluebird boxes around the property – over 250! Krista Carr is the bluebird lady, a position she inherited. Her dad, Lum Born, is the reason she's now Brookville's best birder. She told me, “My dad started bluebirding when he was a little boy… He's gone now, but he was 93 when he died, and his story was he was a little boy lying on the picnic table and looking up and seeing a bluebird and thinking it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.” As an adult, her father decided he wanted to bring bluebirds back to the area after pesticides had nearly wiped them out. He started with 10 bluebird boxes in 1991, and now there are hundreds! Born even worked with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to ensure the boxes were perfect.
After her father passed away, Krista stepped in and has been the Bluebird Lady for the last 15 years. Her job includes making sure other birds aren’t stealing the bluebirds’ space, making sure they are healthy, and keeping their nests clean between fledglings. Once she sees a bluebird nest in a box, Krista will regularly check for eggs, baby birds, or to see if the babies have fledged and left the nest. Bluebirds will typically have two nests, maybe a third, so checking on them is a regular event.
While bluebird babies are still fledging and joining the adult population, the numbers have dropped over the last several years. When her dad first started the boxes, he had 42 bluebird babies fledge, or leave the nest independently. At its peak in 2001, over 1,000 bluebirds fledged. Since then, the numbers have varied from 300 to 500, but overall, the numbers have been trending down, most likely, again, due to pesticides.
Thankfully, while there are a lot of problems in nature I can't really solve, anyone can be part of helping the bluebird population by putting up a box. In the episode, Krista explains what you need and how to ensure bluebirds thrive. Maybe bringing bluebirds to your community can be part of your legacy too.
The Birthplace of Indiana’s Walleye Population
If you enjoy fishing, you have Brookville Lake to thank anytime you catch a walleye. Noah Studebaker, the reservoir’s wildlife specialist, told me, “Brookville Lake is the home to the brood stock of walleye for…the whole state of Indiana. So if you catch a walleye at another lake in Indiana, it probably has ancestry back here at Brookville Lake.” There are a lot of steps and late nights involved in the walleye program. Noah said it starts every spring with collecting walleye from the lake. He explained the biologists fertilize anywhere from 35-42 million fish eggs! The eggs “are all being reared by the fisheries biologists and then distributed throughout all of the state-owned bodies of water.” Noah said it's usually about an 80% success rate.
In the podcast, Noah explained all the steps the biologists take to ensure the walleye are flourishing in Indiana. Not only is it very detailed, it’s also a lot of hours. He said, “They're going out a lot of times to check the nets in the middle of the night: 3 or 4 a.m…. It's a really great operation because a very small percentage of those eggs would have made it to reproduce on their own.” The next time you catch a walleye, you'll know its origin story and who to thank.
Planning Your Visit
Your interests will determine when you want to visit Brookville Lake. If you enjoy the water, visit in the summer. Camping and hiking are best in spring and fall. Hunters should pay attention to which season they want to visit. Birdwatchers can be delighted all year thanks to the bluebirds in the spring and migrating birds other times of year. Thankfully, Brookville Lake’s recreation areas offer something everyone can enjoy. Go make some of your own memories, and I hope to see you in the parks!