Kevin Kalasz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s coastal program coordinator for South Florida/Everglades, will speak on “Living shorelines: a way to improve coast resilience and protect coastal communities” during a lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
The 34th annual lecture series, “A Delicate Balance of Nature,” is sponsored by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park and the Friends of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.
Kalasz will share how living shorelines use natural features for protection from erosion and impacts from storm surge. He will introduce living shorelines as an emerging practice to protect shorelines, provide insight into their benefits and offer examples of their use.
The lecture will be at the visitor center and aquarium building inside John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The park is located at MM 102.6, oceanside, and there is no cost to enter the park for the lecture series. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7:30. Seating is limited. Attendees may bring a cushion for added comfort. Temperatures in the auditorium vary and a sweater or light jacket may be desired. The park asks for help in accommodating those who are chemically sensitive by not wearing fragrances and other scented products.
More information is available from Elena Muratori, park services specialist, at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, in advance, at 305-676-3786. More information on Florida’s state parks is at floridastateparks.org.
