Naturalist Tom Hissong to speak at Lake Improvement Association meeting

The Lake Improvement Association will welcome interpretive naturalist and environmental educator Tom Hissong as the featured speaker at its August membership meeting.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, August 1, at the Celina Moose Lodge and is free and open to the public.

Hissong will present “The Nature of Grand Lake St. Marys,” highlighting the plants, animals and natural history found around the lake. His program will feature wildlife commonly seen in the area, including bald eagles, great blue herons, white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, ring-billed and herring gulls and mink.

A longtime wildlife photographer, Hissong has spent many years documenting wildlife at Grand Lake St. Marys and will share photographs and stories from his experiences.

Hissong worked as an interpretive naturalist and environmental educator in the Dayton area for more than 40 years. He retired in 2017 as education manager at the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm. His career also included positions with Five Rivers MetroParks and the Dayton Museum of Natural History.

The meeting will also include updates on water quality, natural resources, Grand Lake St. Marys State Park and ongoing lake-improvement efforts.

Coffee and doughnuts will be served. Those unable to attend can watch the meeting through the Lake Improvement Association’s Facebook livestream.