For Immediate Release: November 5, 2004

Note: A high resolution (300 dpi) jpeg photo of a manatee is available upon request.

Visitors check out wintering manatees at the viewing platform at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida. (Photo © Kim Walker Stanberry)

It’s November and cool weather is right around the corner for Florida. Thank goodness! Cooler weather in Florida also signifies the return of manatees to warm water sources throughout the state, and that is why November is the month traditionally dedicated to the endangered manatee population. In commemoration of Manatee Awareness Month, Save the Manatee Club (SMC) encourages residents and tourists alike to visit one or more of the places in Florida where manatees can be seen and enjoyed.

“At this time of the year, we always get phone calls, e-mails and letters from people all over the world asking where they can go to see manatees,” says Nancy Sadusky, SMC Communications Director. “It’s a popular activity for residents and one of the reasons many visitors come to Florida. I think people are especially attracted to manatees because they are big, slow moving, and gentle. It’s also a chance to see an endangered species, because there aren’t that many of them left. There’s several places in Florida where people can see manatees and also participate in education programs to learn more about them.”

In spite of their size, manatees have relatively little body fat. They are also herbivores (plant eaters), so their metabolic rate is low. These factors may account, in part, for their susceptibility to cold temperatures. Water temperatures below 21° C (70° F) usually cause manatees to move into warm water refuge areas. In the winter months, generally from November through March, they gather near natural springs or warm water effluents of power plants.

“There are several places in Florida where people can see manatees in the wild,” says Sadusky. “Save the Manatee Club recommends these locations because they have education programs and are staffed with people who can answer questions about manatees and make sure that the manatees at the site are adequately protected.” A popular area on Florida’s east coast is Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, between Orlando and Daytona Beach. Locations on Florida’s west coast include the Manatee Viewing Center at Tampa Electric Company in Apollo Beach, and Lee County Manatee Park in Fort Myers.

A sure way to guarantee a manatee sighting is to visit facilities where manatees live in captivity year round. Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa are suggested locations on Florida’s west coast. You can check out the Miami Seaquarium on the east coast, and SeaWorld Orlando and The Living Seas at Epcot/Walt Disney World in Central Florida. These facilities also offer education programs about manatees. Location information, telephone numbers and web sites for each of the viewing areas listed above can be found at SMC’s web site at www.savethemanatee.org/places.htm or can be obtained by calling the Club toll-free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646).

Save the Manatee Club also offers a variety of education materials and resources for those interested in learning more about manatees before taking that special trip to see them. A wide variety of manatee information is located at the “Manatee Info” section of the Club’s web site at www.savethemanatee.org/info.htm. The Club also offers free brochures with manatee protection tips for observers titled If You Love Us, Please Don’t Feed Us. A brochure for swimmers and divers is titled, If You Love Us, Please Don’t Touch Us. In addition, the Club also offers a free manatee protection tips packet for boaters.

Free education packets are also available for students working on school projects or reports. And educators can also request a 38-page educator’s guide, coloring and activity book, and 4-color poster. Find out more at www.savethemanatee.org/edmat.htm

The free brochures or student education packets can be obtained by calling the Club at 1-800-432-JOIN or sending an e-mail with your mailing address to education@savethemanatee.org. If you are requesting the student education packet, please make sure to include your grade level.

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