Club staff and volunteers Eliana Campos (left) and Jessie Gilmartin (right) show festival goers "Splash," the plush manatee, this year's donation draw. (Photo courtesy of Terry Nearing)

By Janice Nearing
Director of Public Relations

Blue Spring State Park, during the busy 22nd Annual Manatee Festival weekend in January, was kind of like being at a family reunion – on a grand scale! You see, many of the park visitors were really hoping that they might spot their adopted manatee while there. It was as if they were searching for a long-lost relative or a cherished friend.    

Throughout the weekend, busload after busload arrived from the festival down at Valentine Park in Orange City. So, a steady stream of curious grown-ups and playful children would eventually make their way over to our Save the Manatee Club education table set up by the boardwalk. Some questioned whether we had seen Lily, Howie or others in the spring run that day. Some wanted to verify rumors they had heard. Did Elaine just have a baby? Was that a new scar on Deep Dent? There was genuine interest and concern for the manatees in the Club’s adoption programs and for all the amazing wild manatees who return each year to rest and play in the comforting warmth of Blue Spring. Thankfully, Ranger Wayne Hartley shared his “manatee roll call” information with us each morning which helped us answer the numerous inquiries.

Ranger Wayne Hartley (left) tells a manatee story to Assistant Park Manager Richard Harris (middle) and Club volunteer Terry Nearing. (Photo courtesy of Janice Nearing)

Cooler temperatures attracted around 170 of the gentle, slow-moving mammals to the spring run on Saturday, and about 120 on Sunday. People who arrived at the park early each morning were rewarded with the sight of all those manatees at rest or play, including plenty of calves.

Our great team of volunteers was kept busy handing out manatee fact sheets, brochures, and color sheets to the kids. The donation draw for “Splash,” the four and a half foot plush manatee, was a definite attention-getter again this year.  Half the net proceeds will go to the park. This was a festival first for Club staff member and volunteer, Eliana Campos. “When I arrived at Blue Spring, I just watched the manatees peacefully floating in the water, and at that moment it made me realize how really important it is to raise awareness for these beautiful creatures,” she said. Co-worker and volunteer Jessie Gilmartin also enjoyed her experience at the park. “Being able to talk to the public about manatees while seeing them in their natural environment gave me a huge boost.” One of the Club’s premiere volunteers, Susanna Andersen, drove all the way from Islamorada in the Keys along with her mom, Bess, to help us staff our education table. “This was a long time dream of mine come true!” said Susanna. “Seeing and identifying the individual manatees that I have been following on Save the Manatee Club’s website was great! And the enthusiasm of the children gave me hope that the manatees will have a future.”

The Club would like to thank all our dedicated volunteers who helped during this year’s festival. We’d also like to especially thank everyone at Blue Spring State Park for doing such an amazing job of keeping it one of the most beautiful state parks in Florida. And we know the manatees would thank them, too, if they could, for having such a safe, dependable warm water source to keep them alive and well during Florida’s cool months.

Under the shade of majestic live oaks, Club volunteers hand out education materials and answer manatee questions. (Photo courtesy of Deb Brown)

Volunteer for Manatees!

See a calendar of upcoming events, and sign up online to volunteer for Save the Manatee Club at www.savethemanatee.org/vol.htm.