Fishery Biologists Heather Rawlings and Anjanette Bowen participated in the Optimist Club Kids Fishing Event held, during the Brown Trout Festival in Alpena, Michigan. 

This is an annual event hosted by the Alpena Optimist Club to draw children's interest to fishing and to teach them how to fish during the Brown Trout Festival.  

A number of other vendors are invited to participate and provide outreach for the kids as well.  The Alpena FRO booth featured a live sea lamprey provided by the USGS Hammond Bay Biological Station to introduce kids to invasive species issues.  Fish puzzles, games, and coloring pages were also available, as well as sunglasses and other give away items.  Drawing children's interest to natural resources is an important priority for the Service and the future of natural resource management.