Lovers of The Great Lakes -- And Their Kids -- Invited to UB Forum

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Everything you always wanted to know about Great Lakes fish and their environment -- but didn't know who to ask -- will be on display or otherwise available at a public forum to be held from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, June 1, in the Center for the Arts on the University at Buffalo North (Amherst) Campus.

Anglers, boaters, birdwatchers and anyone else who enjoys living near and playing on the Great Lakes -- adults and children -- are invited to participate in various interactive activities, see exhibits and meet researchers, field biologists and resource managers.

Free and open to the public, the forum will kick off the 40th annual meeting of the International Association for Great Lakes Research being sponsored by UB's Great Lakes Program and the Great Lakes Center at Buffalo State College.

- The electroshocker boat that researchers in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service use to conduct surveys on the health of Great Lakes fish. The shocker is used to stun the fish so measurements may be taken; fish are returned to the water unharmed.

According to Helen Domske, associate director of UB's Great Lakes Program and extension specialist for New York Sea Grant at UB, the public forum will allow members of the community to have their questions about the Great Lakes answered by experts.

"The forum will provide attendees with a unique, informal opportunity to talk with the people who are making the management decisions and conducting research that will affect the Great Lakes," said Domske. "In many respects, the Great Lakes are much healthier today than they have been and we can thank past management decisions and research programs for those results."

Other co-sponsors of the public forum include the Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The research portion of the meeting will begin on June 2 at Buffalo State College.

For further information on the public forum, contact Domske at 645-2088, ext. 2337.