An invasive fish off the Florida Keys coast will highlight an upcoming lecture at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
The Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park will present the fourth lecture of the 35th annual lecture series, “A Delicate Balance of Nature,” on Monday, April 27. The talk “Tracking Invaders: Data, Divers, and the REEF (Reef Environmental Education Foundation) Approach to Marine Invasive Species,” will be led by Mead Krówka, REEF’s education coordinator.
Since 2006, REEF has been working with government agencies and partners throughout the region to conduct research to help address the invasive lionfish, develop lionfish response plans and train resource managers and diving operations in effective and safe collection methods.
The lecture will be at the visitor center and aquarium building inside John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The park is located at 102601 Overseas Highway, Oceanside. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the pre-lecture reception provided by the Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and the lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. Bring your own cushion for added seating comfort. Temperatures in the auditorium vary and a sweater or light jacket may be desired. Attendees are asked to accommodate those who are chemically sensitive by not wearing fragrances and other scented products.
To attend via Zoom, visit the Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Facebook page or PennekampParkFriends.org.
The auditorium is wheelchair accessible. More information is available from Elena Muratori, park services specialist, at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, at 305-676-3786 in advance of the event.
More information on Florida’s state parks is at floridastateparks.org.
