The Issue:
After watercraft-related mortality, the second greatest threat to the manatee population is the potential loss of winter warm-water habitat, such as the outfalls of power plants, and natural springs – many of which are experiencing decreases in flow because of higher demands for water for human consumptive needs. As power plants age, they could be taken off line or decommissioned altogether. The loss of warm water at even a single power plant during a cold spell could result in a large-scale disaster, with the potential of causing hundreds of manatees to suffer and die. (Please read the letter below for more information.)
Although government agency managers agree with us that preserving winter warm-water habitat is one of the highest management priorities, little has been done to date and through inaction, a tragedy of immense proportions is just waiting to happen.
We must act now to prevent a mass manatee die-off due to a future lack of warm water for wintering manatees.
What You Can Do:
- Send the letter below to Dale Hall, Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Ken Haddad, Executive Director of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission, and Florida Governor Charlie Crist. You can do this by adding your comments below and filling in the information to the right.
- Help us by donating today and being as generous as you can be so we can continue to advocate strongly for the protection of wintering manatees.
Subject: Protect Warm-Water Habitat for Manatees
Dear Mr. Hall, Mr. Haddad, and Governor Crist:
Please act now to ensure that Florida’s wintering manatees have enough warm-water habitat to support a stable or growing statewide manatee population long into the future.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2007 threats analysis of the Florida manatee, after watercraft-related mortality, the second greatest threat to the manatee population is the potential loss of winter warm-water habitat. Warm-water habitat includes the outfalls of power plants and natural springs – many of which are experiencing decreases in flow. About 60% of the statewide manatee population gathers at power plants in winter in order to survive Florida’s cold snaps.
Florida’s power plants are old – they were all built between the 1940s and early 1970s – and eventually they will be taken off line or decommissioned entirely. The loss of warm water at even a single power plant during a cold spell could result in a large-scale disaster, with the potential of causing hundreds of manatees to suffer and die.
Coal-burning power plants are the largest source of carbon dioxide in America (and carbon dioxide is a main contributor to global climate change). Further, Florida’s aging fuel oil-fired plants are some of the most inefficient plants as well, and as fuel prices continue to rise, and the repercussions of climate change become more imminent, these plants, too, will be shut down.
It is not a question of “if” Florida’s coal-fired power plants and older fuel oil-fired plants will be phased out, but “when” that will happen and they are replaced with cleaner, less polluting technologies to generate electricity.
As less efficient and higher polluting power plants are eliminated, there must be alternatives already in place to keep wintering manatees warm. Additionally, measures that protect spring flows must be adopted now. Unfortunately, even though both the federal Manatee Recovery Plan and the state Manatee Management Plan identify the loss of warm water as a very significant threat, to date little has been done to ensure that there will be enough warm water in the future to safeguard the health of the entire statewide manatee population.
Through inaction, warm-water habitat will shrink (carrying capacity will decrease) and fewer manatees will be able to be supported by a smaller winter range. The result will be a significant decline in the manatee population over time due to a decreased warm-water carrying capacity that can’t support the number of manatees alive today.
I wholeheartedly reject that scenario and know we can and must do better. I urge you to also reject it by acting now to protect wintering manatees:
- Conduct the necessary scientific research now to choose alternative warm-water sites.
- Replace lost warm-water capacity using alternative technologies (e.g. solar-heated refuges).
- Maintain power plant effluents at their existing levels regardless of whether the plants are operational.
- Preserve existing spring flows with the goal of returning to historic flow levels.
- Ensure that sufficient funding is available now for research and land/spring acquisition.
- Implement solutions now so a tragedy of immense proportions can be averted.
We Americans love our manatees. Please do all you can to keep them warm during Florida’s cold weather. Thank you for caring.
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