Want to have fun and also enjoy an educational time with the family?  The U.S. Geological Surveys Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) is having an Open House on Saturday, September 8, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The UMESC is located at 2630 Fanta Reed Road, near the Colgan Air Services, on the east side of the La Crosse Airport on French Island.

The Open House celebrates the UMESC's 53rd year of service on the Upper Mississippi River, Great Lakes, and in the upper Midwest. Visitors can also learn about the Upper Mississippi River Restoration-Environmental Management Program's (EMP) understanding and restoring of the Upper Mississippi River; USGS leads the Long Term Resource Monitoring component of EMP in partnership with the Corps of Engineers and the states of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

The USGS scientific research and monitoring support all levels of natural resource management and decision making for America, including water quality, aquatic plants, freshwater mussels, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, birds, land cover and land use maps, and computer models. 

Displays and activities are planned for the whole family to better understand who USGS is, what we do, and how to use our resources. Children can enjoy a discovery room, coloring walls, and seeing live fish, mussels, amphibians, snakes, and other “critters” from the river. Children can participate in radio tracking "animals", archery, fishing, and geocaching.

Hands-on displays and research equipment can be viewed by the whole family.

Come and enjoy the celebration on Saturday, September 8 with USGS!