Save the Manatee Club is offering a free public awareness waterway sign to Florida shoreline property owners. The sign, which is aluminum and 24" x 18" in size, reads, "Please Watch for Manatees: Operate with Care." It is designed to alert boaters to the presence of manatees in the waterways. Shoreline property owners can post one on their dock to let boaters know that manatees might be in the area.

If you are a Florida shoreline property owner and would like receive the free sign, please call Save the Manatee Club toll-free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) or send an e-mail to education@savethemanatee.org

Note: If you have already received a SMC public awareness waterway sign that features the following number for reporting injured manatees "1-800-DIAL-FMP," please contact us. This telephone number is outdated. Please contact Save the Manatee Club and we will be happy to send you a new sign with the current number (1-888-404-FWCC) to replace your old one.

In addition, here are some good general guidelines boaters can follow to help protect manatees from injury or death:

• Wear polarized sunglasses; they can help eliminate the glare of the sun and can help you see below the water's surface.

• Stay in deep water channels and follow all posted boat speed regulations.

• Avoid boating over shallow seagrass beds where manatees might be feeding.

• Look for the manatee's snout, back, tail, or flipper breaking the surface of the water; a swirl or a flat spot on the water signals a manatee may be swimming below.

• If you see a manatee when operating a powerboat, remain a safe distance away -- about 50 feet. If you want to observe the manatee, cut the motor, but don't drift over the animal.

• If you spot an injured, dead, tagged or orphaned manatee, or if you see a manatee who is being harassed, call 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or #FWC or *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio.
  

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