Aquarium Hobbyists and Water Gardeners: Join the discussion and help fight AIS

September 10, 2012

Protecting Illinois’ natural areas and waterbodies requires your help. Now is your chance to voice your opinion and help shape statewide education and outreach efforts to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) and North Carolina State University (NCSU) are conducting focus groups in Glencoe(Sept 26^th) and Peoria (Sept 27^th) with aquarium hobbyists and water gardeners. The two-hour meetings will occur between 6 and 8 pm on these evenings. A small monetary compensation for participation will be provided.

AIS can easily be released into the environment by aquarium and water garden hobbyists.  The goals of this discussion are to learn what you think about practices to reduce the spread of AIS and to help design future campaigns that speak to the people of Illinois.

For more information, contact Greg Hitzroth at hitzroth@illinois.edu.

To register for one of these meetings, please contact Erin Seekamp by phone at (919) 513-7407 or email at erin_seekamp@ncsu.edu.The specific meeting location will be disclosed upon registration.

IISG is one of 32 programs nationwide that address a number of coastal issues through research, education and outreach. The program is committed to informing the public about the problems posed by AIS as well as how to prevent their spread. Dr. Erin Seekamp is a faculty member and researcher in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM), College of Natural Resources, NCSU. PRTM is a national leader in research and extension activities - dedicated to finding real solutions for real problems and transferring that knowledge to help communities and people thrive.