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:

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.

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):