Take action on behalf of manatees
Contact policy makers and let them know how important manatees are to you. It doesn’t matter whether you live in Florida or outside the state, you can still find ways to take action. View Current Action Issues affecting manatees below and learn what you can do to help. To be notified of these issues as they occur, sign up for Action Alert emails by entering your email below. There are Other Ways To Take Action, too, including signing petitions and pledges, voting, and writing to publications. We also have ways for kids to get involved too!
Current Action Issues and Updates
Be Fertilizer-Free for Manatees
Nutrient pollution in Florida’s waterways is a critical problem, fueling repeated harmful algal blooms in coastal waters. In the Indian River Lagoon, a critical manatee habitat, such harmful algal blooms have destroyed native seagrass, resulting in the deaths by starvation of hundreds of manatees. An unprecedented 1,100 manatees died in Florida in 2021 and the trend has continued into 2022.
Together, we can protect these critical habitats for manatees, other aquatic life, and for our own future generations by reducing human sources of pollution such as fertilizers, improperly-treated sewage, leaking septic systems, and stormwater runoff. While Save the Manatee Club works with our partners to strengthen policies that protect water quality, the individual actions of each Florida resident can make a big difference for the health of our waterways. Do your part: take the pledge to be Fertilizer-Free for Manatees!
Come to the Aid of Manatees and the Indian River Lagoon
Fueled by high levels of nutrient pollution over many decades, the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary (IRL) has suffered a series of harmful algal blooms, leading to massive losses in seagrass coverage. During the 2020-2021 winter season, there was very little seagrass or vegetation for imperiled manatees to eat in the immediate vicinity of warm water locations along the IRL, and many manatees suffered and died from malnutrition. We need to make sure this never happens again. Here’s how you can help:
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Report distressed, sick, injured or dead manatees at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio. You can also download the free FWC Reporter App on your smartphone or tablet.
- Click the following link to send a quick letter to President Biden and your U.S. senators and representative, urging them to come to the aid of manatees and the Indian River Lagoon.
- Please send a quick message to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, asking him to stop the degradation of Florida’s waterways and lead the way in safeguarding the aquatic environment for manatees, other wildlife, and for people, too.
- Learn more about Algae Blooms, Seagrass Loss, and Manatee Deaths and what you can do to help.
Urge Governor DeSantis to Restore The Great Florida Riverway
The Ocklawaha, the heart of the Great Florida Riverway, was dammed in 1968. Constructed for a canal that was never completed, the dam flooded over 7,500 acres of forested wetlands, 20 springs, and 16 miles of the Ocklawaha River. Restoring the Great Florida Riverway by breaching this dam will re-establish access to essential habitat for manatees, bring back migratory fish, connect three river ecosystems, historic Silver Springs, and restore a lost riverway for anglers and paddlers. Please sign our petition and urge Governor DeSantis to restore the Great Florida Riverway.
- Send free ecards to family and friends
- Take the Ocklawaha Quiz to find which animal you are, and how that animal would benefit from a restored river.
End the Plastic Pollution Crisis
The world faces an indisputable plastic pollution crisis. More than 99% of plastic is created from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels, including an oversupply of fracked gas, which is spurring a global boom in new plastic production. That plastic is causing serious environmental problems at every step of its lifecycle. Save the Manatee Club is an endorsing partner for the #PlasticFreePresident Plan. Please sign a petition asking President Biden to set the nation on a pathway to a plastic pollution-free future.
- Learn more about the Retail Bags, Wrappings, and Containers Report currently being updated and reviewed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Help Scientists Monitor Florida Red Tide
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute’s (FWRI) Red Tide Offshore Monitoring Program needs resident volunteers from all of Florida’s coastal counties to collect water samples. Volunteers must be able to collect water samples at least once a month from piers, bridges, or docks alongshore or from locations at least 1 mile offshore. FWRI pays for sampling supplies and shipping costs. Timely sampling by volunteers allows researchers to provide an early warning of offshore algal blooms and investigate reported events as they occur. Email: RTOMP_coordinator@MyFWC.com for more information or fill out the Volunteer Signup Form.
How You Can Help (click below to view):
Sign the Endangered Species Act Legacy Pledge!
You can help protect the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a safety net for our nation’s wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. For over 30 years, the ESA has provided critical protections for endangered species and the places where they live. Please sign the Endangered Species Act Legacy Pledge (SMC is a member of the Endangered Species Coalition) and show your support. When various threats arise to the Endangered Species Act in the form of legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives or the Senate or negative administrative actions, the conservation community will be able to take the list of pledge supporters to Members of Congress and let them know that their constituents support strong protections for our nation’s endangered fish, plants and wildlife.
Submit Your Manatee Sightings
Have you seen a manatee in the wild lately? If you live along a river, estuary, canal or coastal area in Florida, you can help provide valuable information to researchers who are tracking manatees. When you spot a manatee, just fill out our simple online form, or you can download a form to email, fax, or mail.
Register To Vote!
Being an advocate means taking an active part in government. The best way you can do this is register to vote. You can do this online by going to the League of Women Voters or Rock the Vote web sites. It’s easy!
Write a Letter to Your Local Paper
Writing letters to your local newspaper is a very powerful and effective way to voice your position on manatee issues within your community. See a sample letter and get some helpful tips.
You Can Make A Difference: Become Involved and Help Improve the World!
As an individual, you have a voice in governmental processes. When you make your wants and needs known, you can improve the world! When you remain silent, you give your power away to others. No one is too young to get involved. Students can participate by researching issues at the local level. They can write letters, send email, and attend county commission or city council meetings. They can help their community make wise choices about environmental protection.
1. Find Out How State and Federal Government Works
You can find information about your state government. For example, the Florida State Government has a web site called Online Sunshine, which is a guide to the Florida Legislature. You can find out how an idea becomes a law, look up contact information for your legislator, and other interesting facts. You can also look up information about your state’s governor. Florida’s governor is Ron DeSantis, and you can click the following link to find contact information for Governor DeSantis.
You can get information about the federal government by visiting Scholastic’s We the People website to get guides for grades 4-6 and 7-10. You can also find your U.S. senators and your U.S. representative, get their contact information, and send them a message.
2. Write Letters or Send Emails to Elected Officials
If you would like to help manatees, you can write a letter or send an email to Florida’s governor to show strong support for manatee protection. Next, you can write your U.S. senator and representative. If you live in Florida, you can also write your state senator and representative! Tell these elected officials why you think it is important to protect manatees and their habitat and to keep other environmental laws strong. Be creative! You can draw pictures, write letters or poems, and send email.
Get Tips for Writing Letters to Decision Makers
In addition, there are always a number of issues affecting manatees and their habitat that involve local, state and federal governments. You can visit the Take Action page of the Save the Manatee Club website to find current information on these issues.
3. Write Letters or Send An Email to Your School or Local Paper
You can also help educate others by writing a letter to the editor and sending it to your school or community newspaper. Tell them about manatees, why you think it is important to protect them, and how people in your school or community can help.