From right to left are Osceola County Commissioner Brandon Arrington with Stacia Hetrick, education and outreach coordinator for the Hydrilla and Hygrophila Demonstration Project, Eleanor Foerste, project manager for the project, and Dean Jones, senior biologist for the project at the Southport Park kiosk.

As part of Osceola County Extension Services’ Hydrilla and Hygrophila Demonstration Project, four educational kiosks have been installed at major boat ramps in the county to help educate residents and lake users about invasive aquatic weeds.

“Invasive aquatic weeds, like hydrilla, pose a substantial threat to the quality of our lakes and waterways, and ultimately our quality of life,” County Commission Chairman Fred Hawkins Jr. said. “These kiosks will help us better educate the public on what they can do to help us fight its spread.”

Invasive aquatic weeds are a direct threat to Osceola County’s economy and the environment, county officials said. Because of this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the county a grant to conduct the project to find better ways to manage hydrilla and other non-native aquatic weeds that infest local lakes.

If left unmanaged, these weeds can interfere with boating, harm fish populations, cause flooding during heavy rains and affect the overall health of the ecosystem, county officials said.

An economic study by Florida State University in 2006 estimated that Osceola County stands to lose $50 million of recreational income from its waters if aquatic weeds are not managed, county officials said. Of the $10 million the state spent on aquatic weed treatment in 2006-07, half was spent in Osceola County.

Look for the new kiosks on Lake Tohopekaliga at Southport Park and Kissimmee Lakefront Park, on East Lake Tohopekaliga at Ralph V. Chisholm Park and Lake Kissimmee at the Joe Overstreet Boat Ramp.

For more information, contact the Osceola County Public Information Office at 407-742-0100.