Annual Lakes and Ponds Education Day at Weedon Island Preserve | Community Spirit

A free Lakes and Ponds Education Day program is being offered for everyone interested in the health and management of the county’s inland water resources at Weedon Island Preserve on Saturday, May 19, from 9 a.m. to noon, 1800 Weedon Drive N.E., St. Petersburg.

Space is limited to the first 80 registrants and the deadline is May 15.

Experts will be on hand to identify your mystery aquatic plant. Bring your specimen with some pond water in a self-sealing plastic bag. Free native aquatic plants (bring a plastic bag for transportation), wildflowers, groundcovers, shrubs and trees will be available to all participants.

The program features a three-hour workshop focusing on the best management practices of lakes and stormwater ponds. Other educational programs include landscaping buffer gardens (used to protect waterways from erosion), aquascaping (the use of aquatic plants), the ecology of mangroves as well as a citizens’ project on the restoration of a community pond. Booths, displays, information sharing opportunities and refreshments will be available at this annual event.

Local business sponsors have donated items to be given away during a free raffle, including water test kits, waders, trash pickers, and a wide variety of educational material to help residents manage their lakes and ponds.

For more information or to register for this event, contact Anamarie Rivera at (727) 464-4605 arivera@pinellascounty.org or Melissa Harrison at (727) 453-3420 mharrison@pinellascounty.org.

The annual Lakes and Ponds Education Day is sponsored by the Pinellas County Watershed Management Division and the City of Largo.

Weedon Island Preserve protects more than 3,700 acres of natural ecosystems and is located at 1800 Weedon Drive N.E. in St. Petersburg. The preserve is operated under the Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources Department and is open to the public seven days a week, including holidays, from 7 a.m. to 15 minutes before sunset. Its many outdoor activities include walking trails, a fishing pier and a canoe/kayak launch. The Cultural and Natural History Center in the preserve welcomes visitors Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center is closed Sunday through Wednesday and all Pinellas County holidays. The center features the permanent exhibit, Connecting People and Place, which is an art-inspired, hands-on educational approach to the area’s history, ecology and people.

To learn more about Weedon Island Preserve and its upcoming programs and events, call (727) 453-6500. To register for programs and events visit www.weedonislandpreserve.org. Videos featuring Weedon Island Preserve can be viewed at www.youtube.com/pcctv1.

For more information on Pinellas County services and programs, visit www.pinellascounty.org, now with LiveChat, or create a shortcut to www.pinellascounty.org/mobile on any smartphone. Pinellas County government is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.