Not So Tiny “Bubbles” Goes to Manatee-Loving Home

A visit to the Club and (l-r) Jessica, Jamie and Cori take "Bubbles" the manatee home. (Photo by Janice Nearing)

By Janice Nearing
Director of Public Relations

It’s happened again! Someone has taken a 4 ½ foot manatee home. Not a real live manatee of course, but a plush, mega-sized, manatee look-alike that visitors at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Florida had a chance to win this winter during Save the Manatee Club’s annual donation drawing. Last year, one of the behemoth toys was shipped all the way to Canada. This year, the Reece family from Winter Springs, Florida won the popular manatee named “Bubbles,” much to the delight of sisters, Jamie and Jessica, and close friend, Cori. “Bubbles is a member of our family now,” says mom, Tracy Reece.

Save the Manatee Club sets up an education table at Blue Spring numerous times during the winter months, and those who stop by to pick up information or ask a manatee question, also have an opportunity to win the giant manatee by participating in the donation draw. The winning ticket was randomly selected in February from all tickets collected during the Club’s visits. Half the net proceeds went to the Park, and the other half to the Club’s numerous manatee conservation and education projects.

Manatee watching couldn't be more perfect! A record was set when 202 of them were counted on Saturday morning of the festival. (Photo by Terry Nearing)

The vast majority of “Bubbles” donations came in during one of the busiest events at the park – the Blue Spring Manatee Festival, held annually in January. Thousands of visitors attended this year, and though the actual festival itself is held at Valentine Park, just down the road from the state park, people were lined up to hop on a bus and catch a ride up to the park to see everyone’s favorite main attraction – the wild manatees in their natural environment. On the Saturday of the festival, a record 202 manatees were counted! Onlookers who lined the boardwalk to watch the manatees in the spring run were ecstatic!

Having a chance to see the gentle, good-natured manatees at Blue Spring certainly made huge fans of the Reece family. And taking “Bubbles” home added enormously to their desire to do more to help the manatees. So, the girls got busy and set up their own slushy stand in the neighborhood to raise money for Save the Manatee Club. They decided to adopt Margarito from the Club’s Blue Spring adoption program and donate the rest. “The girls are great little people who are growing into wonderful, caring, manatee friends,” adds Tracy. We couldn’t agree more.

Blue Spring Manatee Festival '08: Club volunteers help to educate the large crowds who came to see the manatees at Blue Spring State Park. (Photo by Terry Nearing)

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