Hostile Petition Filed to
Strip Manatees of Protections
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A resting manatee bears healed scars from a watercraft collision. Most Crystal River manatees bear multiple scars from being hit by boats. (Photo © David Schrichte)
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Today, the Pacific Legal Foundation, on behalf of the anti-manatee group Save Crystal River, Inc. (SCR), petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), asking them to downlist manatees. Although they cite a 2007 USFWS Status Review that recommended downlisting, and claim to be acting because the agency failed to follow-up on its own science by drafting a downlisting proposal, in reality, we know that SCR's goal, as it has been in the past, is to strip manatees of critically-needed protections. Considering that manatees have suffered two winters of catastrophic cold-related mortality in 2010 and 2011, dying in record numbers, this is clearly not an appropriate time to push a downlisting proposal.
This petition is the latest attempt by the radical Save Crystal River group to undermine all protections for manatees. Remember, this is the group that petitioned the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission twice to remove all protections for manatees in Kings Bay -- a critical refuge for the species. Both petition efforts were denied because they had no merit or basis in fact. Now, instead of accepting defeat, they've crafted this latest scheme to roll back protections for manatees and satisfy their anti-federal, pro-property rights agenda. Unfortunately, they are now being backed by the deep pockets of the Pacific Legal Foundation.
What You Can Do:
The entry of the Pacific Legal Foundation into the mix makes it imperative that we have the necessary legal resources to fight to defend the manatees and their critical habitat from such self-serving and destructive actions. Please make a donation to our Legal Action Fund today so we can be ready to protect manatees against these stepped-up attacks.
You can click this link to donate to our Legal Action Fund today.
Thank you so much for your action on behalf of manatees. Your help and support remain an inspiration to me and to all of us here at Save the Manatee Club. With dedicated, committed supporters like you on our side, we will be able give this concern our very best effort.
For the manatees,
Patrick M. Rose, CPM, Aquatic Biologist
Executive Director
Save the Manatee Club
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