People are invited to join the St. Joseph County Conservation district, in partnership with the Cass County Conservation District and the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, for an invasive species nature walk at Hidden Marsh in Three Rivers.

Representatives with the agencies will host the walk at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2. They will lead a walk through Hidden Marsh to talk about invasive species and enjoy the early fall foliage. There will be a severe weather date at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4.

Invasive species are plants or animals that can cause harm to the natural environment. Harm to the environment can include loss of native species and economic damage.

Hidden Marsh is a nature sanctuary located just outside of Three Rivers. The walk will take about an hour overall, and leaders will identify several different invasive species.

No registration is required and this is a free event open to all ages. Those with questions about the nature walk or invasive species may contact Kimberly Barton at Kimberly.barton@macd.org, or at (269) 445-8641, ext.5.

The Cass County Conservation District is a member of the SW x SW Corner CISMA. The SW x SW Corner CISMA (Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area) includes Cass, Berrien and Van Buren counties.

People who have invasive species on their property, or would like to have a CISMA representative with their organization, are asked to contact the CISMA Coordinator Eleanor Serocki at (269) 657-4030, ext. 5, or at eleanor.serocki@macd.org.

The CISMA is funded in part by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program, through the Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Quality, and Agriculture and Rural Development.