June 1, 2006 - Pond Appeal Seminar: Managing Algae, Fish Kills & Other Pond Problems

St. Lucie County is rapidly growing in population. This rapidly growing population, predominantly composed of non-native Floridians, relocated to St. Lucie County from areas where environmental conditions are significantly different. This has led to a gap in awareness knowledge and understanding of the interactions between people and the Florida environment. New and long-term residents alike must learn to adapt to Florida living styles in order to maintain the integrity of the county's environmental resources.

A Pond Appeal workshop sponsored by the University of Florida St Lucie County Extension Service and IRCC's Agriculture Department will be held on June 14th from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm at the Schrieber Conference Center at the IRCC Campus in St Lucie West located at 500 N.W. California Blvd in Port St Lucie. The goal of the course is to teach participants best management practices necessary to maintain healthy Florida ponds. Workshop presentations include managing algae, fish kills and other and pond problems. Dr. Cody Gray with the University of Florida Ft Lauderdale Research and Education Center will guest speak on the topic of managing algae and aquatic vegetation. Leroy Creswell, UF / St Lucie County SeaGrant Agent, will guest speak on the topic of the causes of fish kills. John Dunton, City of Port St Lucie Public Works Dept, will be discussing common pond management problems and the city's role in management of these problems.

Pre-registration is required. Call the St Lucie County Extension Service at (772) 462-1660 to sign up for this informative workshop. For additional information about this Pond Appeal program, contact Ken Gioeli, Natural Resources Agent, at (772) 462-1660.