Holiday Shopping Gets Easy –
Give a Manatee!
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Last year, Paul and Kari Skalleberg asked friends and family for donations to help a worthy cause instead of material things for the holidays. (Photo courtesy Paul and Kari Skalleberg)
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For further information, contact:
Janice Nearing,
Director of Public Relations
Phone: (407) 539-0990
E-mail: jnearing@
savethemanatee.org
Note: A high resolution jpeg (300 dpi) of a manatee image, as well as a photo of Paul & Kari Skalleberg, are available upon request.
For Immediate Release
There is a way to steer clear of some of the holiday hustle and hype this year. Consider adopting a manatee for loved ones and good friends online, or with a phone call, right from the comfort of your own home.
An adoption from Save the Manatee Club is a HUGE favorite on gift lists everywhere. It costs $25 and includes an adoption certificate, photo of a real Florida manatee, biography, membership handbook, a subscription to the Club’s quarterly newsletter, The Manatee Zone, and the bi-monthly e-newsletter, Paddle Tales, and free shipping. Or for $35, each new member who joins the Adopt-A-Manatee program online will also receive a 24” x 12” full-color 2009 wall calendar (while supplies last). A personalized holiday message is offered with each adoption.
Back in 1981, singer/songwriter, Jimmy Buffett, co-founded Save the Manatee Club, a national nonprofit advocacy organization, and the Club has been working to protect manatees and their habitat for the past twenty-seven years. Funds from the Club’s adoption programs go toward increasing public awareness, education, and conservation efforts.
Sarah Rice and Kevin Burdette, both geologists from the U.S. and currently working and studying in Canada, adopted a manatee last year for their friends, Paul & Kari Skalleberg from Alexandria, Virginia, who had asked for donations to help a worthy cause instead of material things for the holidays. “This was the perfect opportunity to adopt a manatee for them,” said Sarah, who selected Lily from the Club’s Blue Spring State Park adoption program. “Lily has added to the manatee population over the years with many calves, and we felt that she has done her part in the world and deserves some recognition.”
The Skallebergs were most pleased with their manatee adoption gift. “We particularly loved the photo of Lily,” explained Kari. “And the calendar was a great present, too, just in time for the New Year.”
Manatees are Florida’s official state marine mammal, and they are listed as endangered at the international, federal, and state levels. Since record keeping began in 1974 through May, 2008, more than 41% of manatee deaths, where cause of death was identified, were human-related, and almost 34% were due to watercraft collisions. “With increased awareness, education, regulations, and enforcement, manatee deaths caused by humans could be substantially reduced, and the eventual recovery of the species could be realized,” said Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. Approximately 3,200 manatees currently live in Florida’s ever-busy waterways.
Rose added, “Non-traditional holiday gifts, such as manatee adoptions, make sense in these hard economic times. You can make each dollar you spend during the holidays count because you’ll also be helping endangered manatees – and you’ll get a tax deduction.”
There are 31 manatees to choose from in the Club’s three Florida adoption programs at Blue
Spring State Park near Orange City, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Homosassa, and in the
Tampa Bay area.
The Club’s quick and easy online gift catalog features a variety of manatee items, including jewelry, toys, books, and all kinds of marvels for manatee fans and gift givers alike.
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