Lindsay Peterson

FLORENCE, Wis. — The next Outdoor Education program will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, in the lower-level conference room at in the Florence Natural Resource Center.

Lindsay Peterson, the Wild Rivers Invasive Species Coalition coordinator, will be the guest speaker. The presentation may be attended in person or by signing up to watch via a Zoom link by registering at www.ExploreFlorenceCounty.com. On the Events page, click on this event and then click on “click here for virtual Zoom meeting link.”

Northern Wisconsin lakes are known and loved for their pristine beauty, but they are being threatened by aquatic invasive species, or AIS. AIS are non-native plants, animals and organisms that are introduced to a new ecosystem and cause damage or harm. But prevention and early detection can help protect the lakes.

Attendees can learn about the region’s most notorious aquatic invaders and how they can help prevent their spread throughout the northwoods. Peterson will cover AIS identification — such as zebra mussels, invasive milfoil, phragmites — their impacts to lakes, easy prevention steps and more.

The Florence Natural Resource Center building is at 5628 Forestry Drive, on the corner of U.S. 2 and Highway 101/70 in Florence.

The Florence County monthly Outdoor Education programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Wild Rivers Interpretive Center and the University of Wisconsin-Extension Florence County.