Help Educate Others About Manatees
If you’re passionate about manatees and have some time to spare, you can become a Save the Manatee Club volunteer! Whether you live in Florida, elsewhere in the U.S., or across the globe, there is likely a position for you. If you’re interested, please scroll down to learn more about the available positions, then click the button below to fill out an application!
Volunteer Opportunities
Festivals
This position is available for Florida residents who are 18 years of age or older. Festival volunteers staff information tables at manatee-related events year-round. They provide information on the Club and manatees to the public and should be knowledgeable (or eager to learn) about protecting manatees and their aquatic habitat. Days and times of festivals vary. This requires a minimum of 2-4 hours per festival.
Fieldwork
This position is available primarily for volunteers living in Florida. Volunteers will participate in a variety of activities that benefit manatees and their habitat which could include cleanup events, doing in-person outreach at marinas or visitor centers, seagrass restoration work, and more.
Manatee Observer at Blue Spring State Park
This position is open to Florida residents of Volusia, Orange, Lake and Seminole Counties between the months of April-October.
Manatee Observer Volunteers will educate visitors and help prevent manatee harassment at Blue Spring State Park during the summer months. Volunteers may be pre-scheduled or called on short-notice to assist at the park. Mandatory orientation sessions and kayak training are offered in the spring. Volunteers can assist from the boardwalk or from a kayak. For questions or more information on this position, please email volunteer@savethemanatee.org.
Read more about the Manatee Observer Program
Manatee Outreach Ambassador
This position is available for volunteers living both in and outside of Florida, and a great opportunity for those who visit Florida. There is no age or membership requirement. Manatee Outreach Ambassadors will help Save the Manatee Club find public places to provide manatee information and outreach material, such as parks, marinas, tour operators, visitor centers, schools, and more. They will email suggestions to SMC staff. Training will be provided.
E-mail Action Alert Team
Click here to sign up.
This position is available for volunteers living both in and outside of Florida who have access to e-mail. There is no age or membership requirement for grassroots activism volunteers. This is a critical way you can help manatees. Write, fax, or e-mail policy makers at all levels of government and let them know you support strong manatee protection measures. We will e-mail notices of manatee issues that require your help.
What made you decide to start volunteering with Save the Manatee Club?
Hi. My name is Cate, I live in Ashland, Oregon. I did my 8th grade project on Manatees. My mom and I traveled down to Florida so we could learn everything we could on manatees. We volunteered with Save the Manatee Club so we could see, experience, and learn how to protect these beautiful creatures. Our favorite part was seeing them in the wild at Blue Spring State Park. Having the privilege of working with Gina and seeing all that goes in to protecting these animals was an experience we will never forget.
Who is your adopted manatee, and why did you choose them?
Moo Shoo: I adopted Moo Shoo because she was first spotted the year I was born. I also love how she likes to bump into the researchers’ kayaks.
Lily: I fell in love with Lily’s picture because she is so big!
We plan on adopting 4 more manatees. My mom said that she will match every manatee I adopt. I will be getting Gator and Whiskers while my mom will adopt Ariel and Betsy. Betsy is my mom’s favorite because when we saw her at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, she had a head of romaine lettuce tucked in her flipper while she was still eating more romaine on the surface of the water. She swam away from the group a bit to enjoy her snack to go.
Do you have any favorite moments or experiences while volunteering?
My favorite moment volunteering was getting to see the manatees in Blue Spring State Park. They are so big and majestic to watch swim in the water. We also saw a mom and baby manatee. The baby was so little and cute.
Tell us briefly about your hobbies, interests, career, where you’re originally from, etc.
I am from Ashland, Oregon. I am going into 8th grade, and I love making art. I like to crochet, paint, and bake. This is one of my manatee paintings.
What made you decide to start volunteering with Save the Manatee Club?
I am a big fan of manatees; they are so special! I do not like bullying of any kind, and I don’t think we humans have done a very good job of protecting our wildlife. I feel strongly that manatees need our help, and I am committed to doing what I can to support them.
Who is your adopted manatee, and why did you choose them?
My manatee is Flash. I chose him because he has survived for a fairly long time and because he swims away from people. I really like seeing Flash on the webcam and showing his footage to friends and family. I try to encourage others to support Flash and the other manatees through donations and advocacy.
Do you have any favorite moments or experiences while volunteering?
I have met some great, committed volunteers at festivals, etc. I really like talking with children and young people about manatees, the challenges they face, and how we can help. My favorite volunteer moment came when a six-year-old handed me a brochure and talked with me about the dangers of overfertilization. The world is a little brighter with young advocates like this child.
Tell us briefly about your hobbies, interests, career, where you’re originally from, etc.
I love the Florida springs and rivers! I enjoy kayaking, swimming, viewing nature, reading, and interacting with friends and family. I am an English and writing tutor and a freelance non-fiction writer. I moved to the Ocala area in October of 2019 from North Carolina, where I lived for many years.
What made you decide to start volunteering with Save the Manatee Club?
I’m a Florida girl, and I grew up on the Tomoka River in Ormond Beach, where I shared daily life with an array of wild birds, fish, turtles, alligators, and the occasional dolphin and manatee. But I did not know or fully appreciate manatees until I started volunteering as a Manatee Observer and Rover at Blue Springs State Park (BSSP). Learning about these amazing animals and the human challenges to their environment encouraged me to further volunteer with Save the Manatee Club so I could help improve the overall safety of the manatee world.
Who is your adopted manatee, and why did you choose them?
I adopted Annie as a Christmas gift for my college-age daughter. Kayla and I began volunteering at BSSP together the summer between her high school graduation and her first year of college. Annie came in on our very first day with her calf, and we had to jump into action to keep swimmers away and practice the educating lessons we had only just learned. That incredible experience marked a very happy memory for Kayla and me, and adopting Annie honored her role in our shared story.
Do you have any favorite moments or experiences while volunteering?
Most of my favorite moments involve getting to protect the manatees from swimmers who might get too close when they come into the springs. But I also enjoy those times when the manatees grow curious of the swimmers, especially the children, and want to go “check them out” to see if they are potential plant life. One gentleman nearly lost his leaf-patterned bathing trunks in such an encounter when a female manatee tried to “eat” them off. Things got dicey for a moment, and we weren’t sure who might need rescuing from what, but the man held on, the manatee let go, and both parted ways in fine form.
Tell us briefly about your hobbies, interests, career, where you’re originally from, etc.
I was born in Atlanta but grew up in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville. I began my career as Don John’s assistant on Miami Vice, then continued to work in production on such films as Nell, 12 Monkeys, A Time To Kill, Practical Magic, and My Dog Skip before becoming a screenwriter and author. I have written many spec and paid scripts. My first novel, “The Vessels,” was released in 2020. Books two and three of that trilogy are being released in 2023.
Earn It, Pin It, Show It!
Save the Manatee Club presents a variety of service pins to further recognize and honor the efforts and importance of our loyal volunteer/members. The special, customized pins are earned by registered volunteers who staff education tables for the Club at events, help out in our Maitland office, or give manatee presentations for the Club at local schools, libraries, etc. Wear the pins on the Club’s lanyard which holds the volunteer name tag, or on the Club’s volunteer cap or t-shirt.
See the Pins
Save the Manatee Club Volunteers Get Their Hands Dirty, April 2023
Manatee Lady: Helen Spivey, one of our most dedicated volunteers, dies at 94, April 2022
Welcome Back, Volunteers!, March 2022