Manatees Need Warm Water In Cold Weather

Thanks to a generous grant from HSBC Consumer and Mortgage Lending Services, 30 aluminum signs will be posted at winter warm-water refuges around Florida.

By Judith Vallee,
SMC Development Director

During winter, normally hot, muggy Florida can get downright nippy. Especially in Central and North Florida between the months of November and March, except for the manatee, you won’t find many native Floridians participating in swimming activities! Manatees must take refuge at numerous warm-water sites around the state in order to survive winter cold snaps. Many die each year from cold-stress syndrome.

Second only to watercraft mortality, the greatest long-term threat to the survival of the Florida manatee population is the potential loss of these winter warm-water sites, such as natural springs and the outfalls of power plants. Florida’s natural springs are being polluted and their flows are decreasing due to new demand for drinking water as the state’s once-pristine lands are developed. Outfalls of ten power plants around Florida can be used by about 60% of the manatee population during cold snaps. But all of these power plants were built between the 1940s and the early 1970s. Consequently, many are approaching the end of their planned operational lives and soon may be retired. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Warm Water Task Force – of which we are a part – is working on contingency plans to ensure that manatees have enough warm-water habitat to survive during cold weather.

Thanks to a generous grant from HSBC Consumer and Mortgage Lending Services in Brandon, Florida, Save the Manatee Club purchased 30 aluminum signs that will be posted at winter warm-water refuges around Florida. The purpose of the signs is to educate the public about the importance of these sites and to bolster support to ensure their preservation as well as the identification of alternative sites.