Educators
Since no one knows what the next aquatic invasive plant will be, education and prevention are important strategies to protect our water resources. Both strategies go hand-in-hand; before any of us can take preventative action, we first need to be informed about the problem, the consequences of not managing invasive plants, and solutions.
The UF / IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and FWC’s Invasive Plant Management Section have been collaborating for nearly 25 years to provide outreach and education materials and training for plant managers, field technicians and educators. In recent years, a concerted effort has been made to develop curricula and hands-on teaching materials for use in classrooms throughout the state. The goal of the Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative is to bring a greater awareness of the problem to the next generation of Floridians with hopes that today’s youth will draw on their new knowledge as they mature into responsible environmental stewards. Materials from the Education Initiative will be featured here periodically but many more can be found on the education website itself.