DOCSLIB.ORG

MANATEE PROTECTION PLAN for VOLUSIA COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT 2012

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
MANATEE PROTECTION PLAN for VOLUSIA COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT 2012 MANATEE PROTECTION PLAN for VOLUSIA COUNTY ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Background Florida has been a home to the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) for thousands of years. The abundant number of freshwater, brackish, and marine ecosystems throughout the state have historically provided good habitat for the manatee to thrive and reproduce. However, the increase in the human population of Florida has, in recent years become more of a threat to manatees. This increased threat led to several important federal protection measures, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973, both of which prohibit harassment and harm to the species. In 1978, the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act declared the entire state as a manatee refuge, and later in 1989, 13 counties, including Volusia County, were listed as key to manatee survival.. Under the 1989 mandate each of the 13 key counties were required to develop a Manatee Protection Plan (MPP). Volusia County completed an MPP that included a marina siting element, as well as educational and outreach components. A Boating Activity Study, which was completed in 1996 and updated in 2000, is the underpinning for many of the policies outlined within the MPP. The Volusia County MPP strives to balance manatee protection and resource preservation with recreational and economic demands. We divided the plan into two phases in order to fully address all of the components. The goal of both Phase I and Phase II is to achieve and maintain an optimal sustainable manatee population within Volusia County. Phase I deals with manatee conservation efforts through education, outreach, habitat enhancement, scientific research, and interagency coordination. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved Phase I in February 2001. Phase II of the MPP includes the boat facility siting plan, which outlines methods for boat facility placement in order to minimize watercraft related injuries to manatees. The boat facility siting element creates policies that address protection of the manatee population, as well as preservation of manatee habitat. Phase II was approved by the FWC in October of 2005. 1 Phase I Phase I of the Volusia County Manatee Protection Plan (MPP) addresses issues such as habitat inventory, law enforcement, habitat protection, education and awareness, scientific research, and governmental coordination. The objective of Phase I is to evaluate current impacts to manatees, and implement strategies to increase public awareness, facilitate interagency coordination, and promote scientific research. Volusia County has designed and developed a number of projects to increase manatee conservation and habitat protection in order to address the objectives of Phase I. We have implemented the following initiatives to relative to the issues in Phase I. MONOFILAMENT LINE RECYCLING The goal of the Volusia County Monofilament Line Recycling Program is to minimize the negative impacts of improperly discarded fishing line by decreasing the amount of fishing line entering the environment, increasing the amount of fishing line being recycled, and by fostering awareness of the potentially harmful effects of improperly discarded line. Monofilament fishing line causes numerous threats to the environment, wildlife, and humans. The program strives to place monofilament line recycling bins in all areas of pronounced fishing activity, as well as at all county boat ramps. Individuals, school groups, civic organizations, and business groups then volunteer to maintain the bins. Bin maintenance includes, empting the bin, removing garbage, sinkers, bobbers, hooks, and lures, and properly disposing of all items. The volunteers then take the clean monofilament line to an indoor recycling center. Volunteers fill out data sheets each time they empty their bin and send the sheets to county staff, usually on a quarterly basis. The data sheets allow program staff to determine how much line is being recycled and which bins are most often used. The collected data also shows us how full the bins become, what types of fishing gear are collected, and how much time our volunteers are contributing. Once the bin is full the postage paid recycling boxes are sent to The Berkley Conservation Institute, which is a division of Pure Fishing. When the full box is received Berkley will return an empty recycling container back to the Volusia County recycling center. The collected fishing line is melted down to make plastic pellets, which are recycled to create artificial fish habitats, and tackle boxes. This recycling process is another incentive for fishers and boaters to participate in the program. We have added two new bins this year bringing the total number of adopted bins within the county to 144. The new bins were installed at Tiger Bay and Astor Bridge Marina. The year 2012 saw a recovery of 57 bins full of line, which equates to 228 pounds of line that will not be entering the environment. This is an increase in recycled line over last year’s 30.5 bins and 122 pounds of line. Our online data entry form, which makes the reporting process much easier for our volunteers, was revamped along with the rest 2 of the county’s website, however there were still glitches with the online form. The online reporting system allows volunteers to complete the form online and submit it in one easy process. This eliminates the need for scanning, copying or mailing in data sheets. Figure 1. Map of all monofilament line recycling bins in Volusia County We have continued the construction of personal recycling containers, called “mini-bins”, which can be attached to belts, boat railings, or other structures via a carabiner clip. The mini-bins help to increase awareness of our fishing line recycling program and also make it easy for fishers to recycle their line, especially if they are either not fishing near a large outdoor recycling bin, or if fishing from a boat. The mini-bins are constructed 3 using discarded tennis ball tubes, jump rings, carabiners, and with decals placed on the outside and educational literature on the inside. VCEM staff produced and distributed the mini-bins at festivals, and also through the county school’s IBIS program (formerly the Volusia County Schools Environmental Service Learning Legacy Project) .The project has also been adopted by the Edgewater Boys and Girls Club. In an effort to remove monofilament line and other debris that has already entered the environment the monofilament recycling program organizes and conducts underwater cleanup events along the north jetty at Ponce Inlet during the summer months. Teams of divers, spotters and boat captains work together to remove rope, nets, anchors, lures, fishing poles, fishing line and other debris from this important manatee, sea turtle, and other marine wildlife ingress and egress point. During these cleanup events, divers also many times free entangled animals, including fish and crab species when encountered. Four dives were scheduled for 2012, however due to poor weather and water clarity conditions two events had to be cancelled. We were able to complete two of the scheduled underwater cleanup events this year, which allowed us to remove 116 pounds of monofilament fishing line and other debris from the inlet. Utilizing a GpPro underwater camera the cleanup was videoed, which showed how extensive the discarded line problem is in the cleanup area. We hope to build upon the underwater video footage to create a product that can be viewed at county environmental educational centers and online. Underwater clean-up participants and discarded line recovered from Ponce de Leon Inlet. 4 Monofilament line recycling program staff continued the distribution of the volunteer update, the “Recycler’s Review” that we developed to increase volunteer awareness and involvement. The Review informs the volunteers on current recycling numbers, new initiatives, reminders, and highlights outstanding volunteers on a quarterly basis. An evaluation using the number of monofilament recycling bins and amount of volunteer time indicates that the volunteers contributed approximately 1,296 hours in 2012, which is higher than our 2011 totals. Based on the number of volunteer hours this is the equivalent of $28,239 dollars in volunteer time and effort. MANATEE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH Manatee conservation education for both students and adults continues to be an important objective. Volusia County Manatee Protection Program education and outreach includes the development and distribution of original lesson plans, manatee activities, participation in community festivals and other educational events, and transmitting information to the public via the program website. The educational curriculum is correlated to skill sets outlined in the Florida Sunshine State Standards (SSS), with the goal of providing a complete educational package in a “ready-to-use” format. Teachers can correlate a particular manatee educational lesson to the learning skill they are focusing on at the time. The state has revised the SSS, it is now called the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, or Common Core. We provide teachers curriculum access through the manatee education webpage, through personal requests, and through the Volusia County School’s Project IBIS, formerly Volusia County Environmental Service Learning Legacy Project (VC ESLLP). We also post other educational activities on the webpage, along with links to other related resources. 5 The Manatee Protection Program provides education on manatees, manatee habitat, and monofilament line recycling at all three IBIS Program sites (Rose Bay, Bi- Centennial Youth Park, and the Lyonia Environmental Center). Project IBIS works primarily with high school students in Honors or Pre-IB Biology, in AP Biology, and in AP Environmental Science. In 2012, an emphasis was placed on teaching FCAT skills and incorporating Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS). The goal of Project IBIS is to help improve students’ scores on the new mandatory statewide End Of Course (EOC) exams for these classes. In response to the changes, new manatee activities were created to enhance students’ learning experience.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Population Viability Analysis of the Florida Manatee (Trichechus Manatus Latirostris), 1976–1991
    Population Viability Analysis of the Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), 1976–1991 MIRIAM MARMONTEL,*† STEPHEN R. HUMPHREY,‡ AND THOMAS J. O’SHEA§i *Department of Wildlife and Range Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A. ‡College of Natural Resources and Environment, Box 118100, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A. §National Biological Service, Sirenia Project, 412 NE 16th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601, U.S.A. Abstract: Recent development of age-determination techniques for Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus lati- rostris) has permitted derivation of age-specific data on reproduction and survival of a sample of 1212 car- casses obtained throughout Florida from 1976–1991. Population viability analysis using these data projects a slightly negative growth rate (20.003) and an unacceptably low probability of persistence (0.44) over 1000 years. The main factors affecting population projections were adult survival and fecundity. A 10% increase in adult mortality would drive the population to extinction over a 1000-year time scale, whereas a 10% decrease in adult mortality would allow slow population growth. A 10% decrease in reproduction would also result in extinction. We conclude that management must focus on retaining and improving the conditions under which manatee demography operates. The major identified agent of mortality is boat-manatee collisions, and rapidly increasing numbers of humans and registered boats portend an increase in manatee mortality. Zon- ing of manatee-occupied waters for reductions in boating activity and speed is essential to safeguard the manatee population. If boating regulations being implemented by the state of Florida in each of 13 key coastal counties are completed, enforced, and effective, manatees and human recreation could coexist indefi- nitely.
    [Show full text]
  • Digest 2.2.Qxd
    Volume 2, Number 2 2003 A G R A S E N T L T A S W E A I G N D D P O L I C Y http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/SGLC Volume 2, Number 2 Sea Grant Law Digest 2003 Page 2 THE SEA GRANT LAW AND POLICY DIGEST is a bi-annual publication indexing the law review and other articles in the fields of ocean and coastal law and policy published within the previous six months. Its goal is to inform the Sea Grant community of recent research and facilitate access to those articles. The staff of the Digest can be reached at: the Sea Grant Law Center, Kinard Hall, Wing E - Room 256, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848, phone: (662) 915-7775, or via e-mail at [email protected] . Editor: Stephanie Showalter, J.D., M.S.E.L. Publication Design: Waurene Roberson This work is funded in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce under Grant Number NA16RG2258, the Sea Grant Law Center, Mississippi Law Research Institute, and University of Mississippi Law Center. Valuable research assistance is provided by the University of Oregon Ocean and Coastal Law Center. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies. Graphics by @ Nova Development Corp., and NOAA. The University of Mississippi complies with all applicable laws regarding affirmative action and equal opportunity in all its activities and programs and does not discriminate against anyone pro- tected by law because of age, creed, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, handicap, veteran or other status.
    [Show full text]
  • Antillean Manatee Trichechus Manatus Manatus Belize
    Antillean Manatee Trichechus manatus manatus Belize Compiler: Jamal Galves Contributors: Jamal Galves, Joel Verde, Celia Mahung Suggested citation: Galves, J, Belize National Manatee Working Group and Verde, J. A. 2020. A Survival Blueprint for the Antillean Mantees Trichechus manatus manatus of Belize. Results from the EDGE PhotoArk NatGeo Fellowship Project: Efforts to Safeguard the Antillean Manatees of Belize. EDGE of Existence Programme, Zoological Society of London. 1. STATUS REVIEW 1.1 Taxonomy: The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), is from the order of the sirenian of the Trichechidae family and is divided into two subspecies: the Florida manatee T. m. latirostris; and the Antillean manatee T. m. manatus (Hatt, 1934). Antillean Manatee Florida Manatee Kingdom: Animalia Kingdom: Animalia Order: Sirenia Order: Sirenia Phylum: Chordata Phylum: Chordata Family: Trichechidae Family: Trichechidae Class: Mammalia Class: Mammalia Genus: Trichechus Genus: Trichechus Species: Trichechus manatus manatus Species: Trichechus manatus ssp. latirostris 1.2 Distribution and population status: Figure 1. Map of Antillean and Florida manatee distribution. Dark grey area shows the distribution of Antillean manatee Trichechus manatus manatus. The distribution of the Florida manatee is displayed in diagonal lines, and the known subpopulations of Antillean manatee with the species genetic barriers is demarcated with dotted lines, according to Vianna et al., 2006. Map used from Castelblanco-Martínez et al 2012. The Antillean Manatee has a fragmented distribution that ranges from the southeast of Texas to as far as the northeast of Brazil, including the Greater Antilles (Lefebvre et al., 2001; Reynolds and Powell, 2002). This species can be found in coastal marine, brackish and freshwater systems, and is capable to alternate between these three environments (Lefebvre, 2001).
    [Show full text]
  • The IUCN Red List of Threatened Speciestm
    Species 2014 Annual ReportSpecies the Species of 2014 Survival Commission and the Global Species Programme Species ISSUE 56 2014 Annual Report of the Species Survival Commission and the Global Species Programme • 2014 Spotlight on High-level Interventions IUCN SSC • IUCN Red List at 50 • Specialist Group Reports Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis), Endangered. © Martin Harvey Muhammad Yazid Muhammad © Amazing Species: Bleeding Toad The Bleeding Toad, Leptophryne cruentata, is listed as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. It is endemic to West Java, Indonesia, specifically around Mount Gede, Mount Pangaro and south of Sukabumi. The Bleeding Toad’s scientific name, cruentata, is from the Latin word meaning “bleeding” because of the frog’s overall reddish-purple appearance and blood-red and yellow marbling on its back. Geographical range The population declined drastically after the eruption of Mount Galunggung in 1987. It is Knowledge believed that other declining factors may be habitat alteration, loss, and fragmentation. Experts Although the lethal chytrid fungus, responsible for devastating declines (and possible Get Involved extinctions) in amphibian populations globally, has not been recorded in this area, the sudden decline in a creekside population is reminiscent of declines in similar amphibian species due to the presence of this pathogen. Only one individual Bleeding Toad was sighted from 1990 to 2003. Part of the range of Bleeding Toad is located in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park. Future conservation actions should include population surveys and possible captive breeding plans. The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership.
    [Show full text]
  • Learning About Manatees: a Collaborative Program Between New College of Florida and Mote Marine Laboratory to Conduct Laboratory Research for Manatee Conservation
    International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 2010, 23, 811-825. Copyright 2010 by the International Society for Comparative Psychology Learning about Manatees: A Collaborative Program between New College of Florida and Mote Marine Laboratory to Conduct Laboratory Research for Manatee Conservation Gordon B. Bauer New College of Florida, U.S.A. Mote Marine Laboratory, U.S.A. Debborah E. Colbert Association of Zoos and Aquariums, U.S.A. Joseph C. Gaspard III University of Florida, U.S.A. Mote Marine Laboratory, U.S.A. Research with captive manatees initiated as part of a New College of Florida class project at Mote Marine Laboratory has yielded a wide range of research with substantive implications for management and conservation. Our training program directly supported investigations of blood chemistry, immune function, stress-related physiology, respiration, thermoregulation, and behavioral ecology. Our investigations of sensory processes included studies of visual acuity, color vision, passive and active touch, auditory frequency detection thresholds, auditory temporal processing rates, hearing in noise, and sound localization. Undergraduate and graduate students involved in this program have been successfully mentored in sensory processes, animal behavior, and conservation. Further validation of the educational benefits of studying captive manatees awaits formal research on attitude, behavior change, and public policy related to protecting manatees and other marine mammals in natural settings. The work we have described was a team effort. In addition to the authors, the core of that team also included David Mann, College of Marine Science, University of South Florida and Roger Reep, University of Florida. Wendi Fellner contributed strongly at the beginning to establish the manatee program.
    [Show full text]
  • H1243s1z.Nrep.Doc DATE: May 22, 2002 HOUSE
    STORAGE NAME: h1243s1z.nrep.doc **AS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE** DATE: May 22, 2002 CHAPTER #: 2002-264, Laws of Florida HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FINAL ANALYSIS BILL #: CS/HB 1243, 2ND ENGROSSED RELATING TO: Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission SPONSOR(S): Council for Ready Infrastructure and Representative(s) Pickens; Harrington TIED BILL(S): ORIGINATING COMMITTEE(S)/COUNCIL(S)/COMMITTEE(S) OF REFERENCE: (1) NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION YEAS 12 NAYS 0 (2) COUNCIL FOR READY INFRASTRUCTURE YEAS 16 NAYS 1 (3) (4) (5) I. SUMMARY: CS/HB 1243, 2nd Engrossed, amends provisions of Chapters 370 and 372, Florida Statutes, to revise existing penalties and create new penalties for saltwater fisheries violations; to create additional restrictions on persons whose saltwater product licenses have been suspended or revoked; and to provide penalties for the purchase or sale of illegally harvested marine life. Felony penalties are created for the molestation of or theft from freshwater fishing gear. The bill revises and clarifies requirements and procedures for confiscation and forfeiture of property used in the illegal taking, sale, or purchase of saltwater products, and the illegal taking or possession of deer and wild turkey. Notice requirements to the registered owner of property subject to forfeiture for violations are provided. Provisions of statute relating to commercial saltwater products licenses are revised and clarified. Existing statutory forfeiture proceedings contained Chapter 372, Florida Statutes, are repealed. CS/HB 1243, 2nd Engrossed, provides for increased public access to the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWCC) rule development process by requiring counties to create local rule review committees to review and make recommendations on rules that propose to regulate the operation and speed of motorboats for purposes of manatee protection.
    [Show full text]
  • November 2020
    news Sire Newsletter of the IUCN Sirenia Specialist Group Group November 2020 Funded by CMA Research Institute Number 72 IN THIS ISSUE: • MOVEMENTS OF FIVE CARIBBEAN MANATEES (TRICHECHUS MANATUS MANATUS) RELEASED IN THE MARSH COMPLEX ZARZAL-EL TUPE-CAPOTE, BOLÍVAR, COLOMBIA (see page 16) • FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WILL RELEASE REHABILITATED MANATEES (see page 20) • PROGRESSING OUR KNOWLEDGE OF DUGONG AND SEAGRASS DISTRIBUTION AND OVERLAPS WITH LOCAL FISHERIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA UNDER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC (see page 37) Note from Dr. Benjamin Morales-Vela. Sirenia Specialist Group Co-Chair: I wish to announce my resignation as Co-Chair of the Sirenia Specialist Group, effective as of December 31st. I have been honored to serve as Co-Chair of the Sirenia Specialist Group for several years, first with John Reynolds and then with Helene Marsh. I must thank you for all your respect and affection shown to me in all these years, which fills me with pride and satisfaction, but it is time that a new manatee leading takes my position. We consider appropriate first to invite the regional manatee Co-Chairs to express if they would be interested in taking my position. Some responded that at the moment, they could not assume this responsibility, as a result of their other commitments, and wished that some of the other wonderful people invited could accept. Anmari Álvarez-Aleman, Meso-America regional Co-Chair, expressed her interest in having this opportunity. I am sure that Anmari will be an exceptional Co-Chair of the Sirenia SG, enjoying working near Helene Marsh.
    [Show full text]
  • World Bank Document
    GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO RP679 vol. 1 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Public Disclosure Authorized NARIVA SWAMP RESTORATION INITIATIVE (NSRI) Public Disclosure Authorized DEVELOPMENT OF A REFORESTATION SCHEME AND ASSESSMENT OF ITS SOCIAL IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES OF THE NARIVA SWAMP. SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Final Report Public Disclosure Authorized Submitted by: THE TROPICAL RE-LEAF FOUNDATION Public Disclosure Authorized P.O. BOX 4424, St. Ann’s Port of Spain Trinidad and Tobago March 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Several persons and organisations that provided valuable assistance and advice in the preparation of this Reforestation Scheme are hereby acknowledged: From the Environmental Management Authority: Dr. John Agard (Chairman), Ms. Robyn Cross and Mr. Kishan Kumarsingh (Technical Coordinators) and Mr. Gerard Alleng (Consultant Project Coordinator) From the Forestry Division: Mr. Anthony Ramnarine (Conservator of Forests), Ms. Nadra Gyan (Director Wildlife Division), Mr. David Boodoo (Senior Game Warden), Mr. Pretam Khemraj (Game Warden), Mr. Roopnarine Singh (Forester I – Private and Community Forestry), Ms. Barbara Scobie (Draughtsman) Mr. Gerald McVorran, (Chair, National Wetlands Committee) and other members of the National Wetlands Committee. From the Ministry of Agriculture: Mr. Ian Fletcher (Ag. Officer II, Department of Land Administration), Mr. Timothy Sutchit (Ag. Assistant II, El Reposo Demonstration Centre), Mr. Mohan Lookhoor (Ag Assistant II, Rio Claro Agricultural Extension Office), Ms. Anne Marie Medina, (Deputy Director, Land and Water Development Division), Mr. Frankie Balkissoon, (Agricultural Engineer, Land and Water Development Division), Mr. Ronald Bryce (Hydrologist, Land and Water Development Division), Ms. Mala Powdher (Agricultural Engineer, Land and Water Development Division). From Fisheries Division: Ms. Sherry Pierre (Aquaculture Officer) From the Central Statistical Office: Ms.
    [Show full text]
  • Survey of Federally-Funded Marine Mammal Research and Conservation
    Marine Mammal Commission An independent agency of the U.S. Government Survey of Federally-Funded Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Fiscal Year 2015 June 16, 2017 Federal funding for marine mammal research and conservation Fiscal year 2015 Published by the Marine Mammal Commission, an Independent Federal Agency, located at 4340 East- West Highway, Room 700, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814, USA. Cite as: Marine Mammal Commission. June 2017. Survey of Federally-Funded Marine Mammal Research and Conservation. Marine Mammal Commission, Bethesda, MD. 105pp. Marine Mammal Commission i Federal funding for marine mammal research and conservation Fiscal year 2015 Executive Summary Title II of the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) created the Marine Mammal Commission and directed it to undertake a continuing review of “research programs conducted or proposed to be conducted under the authority of the Act.” In 2010 the Commission initiated an online survey to assess funding for marine mammal research and conservation activities conducted or funded by federal agencies in fiscal year 2009. In the summer of 2016, the Commission requested that federal agencies provide data on marine mammal activities from fiscal year 2015 using its online survey tool. The survey collected information on the agencies’ marine mammal-related programs, projects, and grants, including the nature of the research, the species and geographic areas studied, the threats and issues addressed, and the funding amounts obligated during that fiscal year. Agencies reported their fiscal data to the survey in two ways: 1) total funding for marine mammals, including direct expenditures for projects and miscellaneous marine mammal activities, as well as the indirect expenditures to support the projects and other activities; and 2) direct project expenditures.
    [Show full text]
  • An Educator's Guide
    Manatees AN EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Photo © David R. Schrichte Florida Manatee Fast Facts KINGDOM: Animalia HABITAT: Manatees are found and/or drowned in canal locks and PHYLUM: Chordata in shallow, slow-moving rivers, flood control structures. They can CLASS: Mammalia estuaries, saltwater bays, canals accidentally ingest fishhooks, litter, ORDER: Sirenia and coastal areas, particularly and fishing line, or become entangled FAMILY: Trichechidae where seagrass beds or freshwater in crab trap lines. Manatees can GENUS: Trichechus vegetation flourish. also die from natural causes such as SPECIES: manatus RANGE: West Indian manatees cold-related disease, gastrointestinal SUBSPECIES: latirostris are found throughout the wider disease, and pneumonia. DESCRIPTION: West Indian Caribbean basin and within the LEGAL PROTECTION: Manatees manatees are large, gray aquatic southeastern United States. Florida in Florida are protected under two mammals with whale-like bodies manatees are concentrated in federal laws: The Marine Mammal that taper to a flat, paddle-shaped Florida in the winter. Each summer, Protection Act of 1972 and the tail. They have two forelimbs, called sightings of Florida manatees Endangered Species Act of 1973. flippers, with three to four nails. occur in other southeastern states Manatees are also protected by Their head and face are wrinkled including Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary with whiskers on the snout. South Carolina. Manatees have been Act of 1978. SIZE: The average adult manatee documented as far west as Texas CONSERVATION: The Florida is about three meters (9.8 feet) and as far north as Massachussetts. Manatee Recovery Plan is coordi- long and weighs between 362–544 FOOD: Manatees are herbivores.
    [Show full text]
  • Conservation of Antillean Manatees in the Drowned Cayes Area of Belize
    CONSERVATION OF ANTILLEAN MANATEES IN THE DROWNED CAYES AREA OF BELIZE A Dissertation by CARYN SELF SULLIVAN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY May 2008 Major Subject: Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences CONSERVATION OF ANTILLEAN MANATEES IN THE DROWNED CAYES AREA OF BELIZE A Dissertation by CARYN SELF SULLIVAN Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Co-Chairs of Committee, Jane M. Packard William E. Evans Committee Members, Wyndylyn M. von Zharen William E. Grant Head of Department, Thomas E. Lacher May 2008 Major Subject: Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences iii ABSTRACT Conservation of Antillean Manatees in the Drowned Cayes Area of Belize. (May 2008) Caryn Self Sullivan, B.S., Coastal Carolina University Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Jane M. Packard Dr. William E. Evans The purpose of this study was to determine how manatees use Swallow Caye, Drowned Cayes, and Gallows Reef, three distinct habitat types within the Belize Barrier Reef lagoon system near Belize City. Data were collected using boat-based point scan methods with the assistance of volunteers. Presence/absence and photo ID methods ensured consistency of data collection despite a changing pool of volunteer researchers. Results confirmed the mangrove and seagrass ecosystem between the Belize Barrier Reef and Belize City as important manatee habitat. Inconsistent with the prevailing "seasonal distribution hypothesis" for manatees in Belize, the probability of encountering manatees at Swallow Caye and in the Drowned Cayes was equal between dry and wet seasons.
    [Show full text]
  • Disney Conservation Fund Two-Year Project Grants, 2018-2020
    Disney Conservation Fund Two-Year Project Grants, 2018-2020 Geographic Organization Name Project Title Project Description Species Country Region Identifying and mitigating threats to the African manatee throughout Senegal and their 21-country range, and studying their biology and ecology to better African Aquatic Conservation Fund African Manatee Conservation understand and protect the species. Training a collaborative network of African researchers from 19 countries to increase research, initiate grassroots African Manatee Marine Senegal conservation action and reach more than 5,000 people annually through manatee education programs. Conservation Hero: Neovitus Cassian Tanzania, United African People & Wildlife Recognizing Neovitus Cassian Siangia for his dedication to the conservation of lions and their habitats in his community. African Lion Africa Sianga Republic of Promoting human-wildlife coexistence to mitigate conflict and safeguard African lions, elephants and other vulnerable species in and around Gonarezhou Promoting Coexistence to Safeguard African Wildlife Conservation Fund National Park in Zimbabwe. Facilitating community engagement workshops, activities and at-home training to minimize conflict, improve channels of African Elephant, African Lion Africa Zimbabwe Wildlife communication with local communities, and ensure the persistence of thriving wildlife populations. Hahamongna to Tujunga Wildlife Establishing wildlife corridors to expand mountain lion range, allow animals to move freely among California's San Gabriel Mountains and prevent in-breeding United States of Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy Puma North America Corridor and territorial disputes. Educating and engaging communities to help steward open spaces for wildlife. America Engaging communities and stakeholders in southern India through conservation programs to raise awareness of the positive impact of vultures for ecosystem Community Based Vulture Arulagam health and reduce threats to vultures including vulture-toxic drugs.
    [Show full text]