Angie Greico shows off her manatee banner. (Photo courtesy of Michael Greico.)

For further information, contact: Janice Nearing, Director of Public Relations Save the Manatee Club Phone: (407) 539-0990 E-mail: jnearing@ savethemanatee.org

For Immediate Release: December 16 , 2008

Note:  A high resolution jpeg (300 dpi) of a manatee image, as well as a photo of Angie Greico and the Club’s yellow boating banner, are available upon request. 

Big as they may be, manatees are often difficult to see as they move throughout Florida’s waterways in search of food or their favorite warm-water winter refuge.  Save the Manatee Club encourages the boating community to be active participants in manatee protection by letting other boaters know when they have sighted a manatee on the water.  Boaters can serve this role with one of the Club’s special public awareness banners which state, “Please Slow: Manatees Below.”

“We hope to see a lot more boaters utilizing the Club’s bright yellow boating banner,” explains Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club.  “The banner can be held up high at a moment’s notice, and this instant communication between boaters can help prevent manatee injuries and deaths.”

The waterproof banners are provided free to the boating public from Save the Manatee Club.  Many people carry the 1 ½ by 2 foot banner on their boats, kayaks, and canoes, and use them whenever a situation arises that could be potentially harmful to manatees. 

Angie Greico from Palm Beach County leaves the banner on her boat.  “When we are anchored in a very popular area that manatees sometimes frequent, we’ll make a flag of it so people can see it,” says Greico.  “We’ve waved the banner on a number of occasions when manatees were present – we immediately cut our engine, and we have slowed boaters down.” 

The idea for the banner originated with Barbara Birdsey of the Pegasus Foundation, who, while boating in the busy Jupiter Inlet/Hobe Sound area years ago, waved homemade signs to slow down boaters.  The new, more effective yellow banners are available to the public, thanks to the generosity and goodwill of the Pegasus Foundation, and to the continued support of Mrs. Birdsey. 

Boaters throughout Florida are reminded to watch for seasonal slow-speed zone signs as manatees are on the move, seeking warm water as temperatures cool.  “It’s important that boaters learn to recognize the signs that manatees are close by,” explains Rose.  “These include a series of flat circles on the water’s surface made by the tail of a swimming manatee, and the tip of a manatee’s nose, which breaks the water’s surface when the animal rises to breathe.  Wear polarized glasses while operating a boat, stay in deep water channels, and use the yellow banner to caution others of the presence of manatees.”

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 us VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. 

Request a free “Please Slow: Manatees Below” banner by contacting Save the Manatee Club via e-mail at education@savethemanatee.org, by regular mail at 500 N. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL 32751, or by calling toll free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646).  Just include your name, mailing and e-mail addresses, and the area where you boat in Florida.  Also, Florida shoreline property owners can get a free aluminum sign for your dock which reads, “Please Watch for Manatees: Operate With Care.”  Be sure to include your name and mailing address where the sign will be posted, if different. 

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