Educational Outreach

One of the principal objectives of the TAME Melaleuca project was to educate people about melaleuca and why it is a problem, and about the possible solutions available for controlling it. By getting the message out, we hoped to increase awareness of this invasive pest plant and to encourage widespread adoption of integrated melaleuca management methods, particularly the use of biological control agents.

Targeted audiences of the Educational Outreach component were residential, commercial, and agricultural property owners, public and private land managers, and the public at large. The TAME project developed a range of outreach products and activities to reach these audiences. Almost 300 land managers and vegetation management professionals from 40 organizations throughout the state attended Melapaleuza, our series of workshops and field days.

Thousands of residents have visited our display booths at community environmental education events, in local cooperative extension offices, and in the visitors' centers of parks and preserves throughout southern Florida. In cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the UF/IFAS St. Lucie County Cooperative Extension Office, we have distributed approximately 2 million biological control insects in 15 counties in central and southern Florida where melaleuca occurs.

Electronic versions of outreach materials are available below. Many are also available in printed format for bulk distribution.

Books: educational outreach