Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Make Way for Manatees Heading to Warmer Waters
November 14, 2009 by Patrick Comer
November is Manatee Awareness Month, and for good reason. Florida manatees are on the move, seeking warm-water sites to spend the winter. That means boaters must be cautious and watch for Florida?s official marine mammal and for changing speed zones on waterways.
Manatees generally start traveling to warm water when the air temperature drops below 50 degrees or when the water temperature dips to 68 degrees. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) changes seasonal speed zone signs in mid-November on many waterways to accommodate manatee migration.
Boaters should scan the water near or in front of the boat, looking for swirls resembling a large footprint, a repetitive line of half-moon swirls, a mud trail, or a snout or fluke (tail) breaking the water?s surface. Kipp Frohlich, leader of the FWC?s Imperiled Species Management Section, said boaters can help manatees have a safe migration by staying in marked channels; wearing polarized sunglasses to improve vision; obeying posted boat-speed zones; using poles, paddles or trolling motors when in close proximity to manatees; and having someone help scan the water when under way.
In Lee County waters, manatees seeking warmer water often collect around FPL?s power plant east of I-75 in the Caloosahatchee River and Orange River. Manatee Park, adjacent to the power plant on State Road 80 (Palm Beach Blvd), is also a great location to safely observe manatees.
They also tend to gather in some canals that provide protection from chilling winds, or in shallow water that tends to be warmer due to sunlight reflecting off the bottom.
?If you think you see a manatee, give it plenty of room because it may not be alone,? Frohlich said. ?It may have a calf or be traveling with other manatees.?
Besides slowing down and following the FWC?s recommendations, residents can help manatees survive by purchasing the manatee specialty license plate. The funds collected from sales of these plates go directly into manatee research and conservation.
http://www.leecountytimes.com/make-way-for-manatees-heading-to-warmer-waters/
November 14, 2009 by Patrick Comer
November is Manatee Awareness Month, and for good reason. Florida manatees are on the move, seeking warm-water sites to spend the winter. That means boaters must be cautious and watch for Florida?s official marine mammal and for changing speed zones on waterways.
Manatees generally start traveling to warm water when the air temperature drops below 50 degrees or when the water temperature dips to 68 degrees. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) changes seasonal speed zone signs in mid-November on many waterways to accommodate manatee migration.
Boaters should scan the water near or in front of the boat, looking for swirls resembling a large footprint, a repetitive line of half-moon swirls, a mud trail, or a snout or fluke (tail) breaking the water?s surface. Kipp Frohlich, leader of the FWC?s Imperiled Species Management Section, said boaters can help manatees have a safe migration by staying in marked channels; wearing polarized sunglasses to improve vision; obeying posted boat-speed zones; using poles, paddles or trolling motors when in close proximity to manatees; and having someone help scan the water when under way.
In Lee County waters, manatees seeking warmer water often collect around FPL?s power plant east of I-75 in the Caloosahatchee River and Orange River. Manatee Park, adjacent to the power plant on State Road 80 (Palm Beach Blvd), is also a great location to safely observe manatees.
They also tend to gather in some canals that provide protection from chilling winds, or in shallow water that tends to be warmer due to sunlight reflecting off the bottom.
?If you think you see a manatee, give it plenty of room because it may not be alone,? Frohlich said. ?It may have a calf or be traveling with other manatees.?
Besides slowing down and following the FWC?s recommendations, residents can help manatees survive by purchasing the manatee specialty license plate. The funds collected from sales of these plates go directly into manatee research and conservation.
http://www.leecountytimes.com/make-way-for-manatees-heading-to-warmer-waters/