T After 25 Years, Club's Plate Still Full - Save the Manatee Club

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After 25 Years, Club’s Plate Still Full continued from page 1 still have many more critical battles to win, and the Club’s plate continues to be full. On behalf of our Board of Directors and our hard-working hough the importance of saving species seems lost on this generation of conservative lawmakers, it was deeply appreciated 32 years ago when Congress overwhelmingly passed the Endangered Species Act. They understood that man’s very existence depends on the planet’s biodiversity. The act protects that diversity by authorizing conservation measures for listed species, including preserving critical habitat on public and private property. Florida has a similar list of plants and animals that warrant state protections. and dedicated staff, my heartfelt thanks for your support – and even more than that – thanks so much for caring! Judith Vallee has been Save the Building Upon Success An editorial excerpted with permission from the Daytona Beach News-Journal T The act’s successes are evident – more than 7,600 pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states today compared to 417 pairs when it was enacted; whooping cranes thriving in the Midwest, condors soaring over California, sea turtles returning to nest on Florida beaches. But that hasn’t stopped well-organized attempts to cripple the federal act or the state protections, attempts that are gaining momentum with an unsuspecting public’s support. Neither Congress nor the state of Florida should be watering down their de-listing criteria. The state has already done that and in June Manatee Club’s executive director since 1985. Later this year, she will step down as executive director in order to concentrate on raising muchneeded funds for Club programs. will use the weaker criteria to decide whether to remove manatees from its endangered list. That would likely lead to a similar de-listing by the federal government. The stability of the sea cow population is in serious doubt. Changing the rules to make a species look more sustainable than it is defeats the intent of Congress in 1973. It is obvious that 2006 will be a critical year for protecting endangered and threatened species. At the moment, it’s not looking good for the plants or the critters. Sign up for our free monthly E-newsletter at www.savethemanatee.org/enews_signup.htm 2 On The Move In Tampa Bay By Suzanne Tarr, Volunteer Winter has officially arrived, if for just a moment, in southwest Florida. After a balmy December, temperatures finally took a dip in January. In Tampa Bay, manatee numbers typically increase during the early winter months, as they move away from summer haunts and migrate closer to warm water refuges. Vector is usually one of the first to drop in at a warm water site, so I was not surprised to hear that he was the first adoptee to be spotted this season. In early November, Vector visited the Culbreath Key area known for its lush sea grass beds that manatees feed on year round. The week of Thanksgiving, he was observed on the other side of the Bay’s bridge at the Florida Progress Bartow power plant in St. Petersburg, along with another adoptee, Flicker. Flicker spent several days at this protected federal sanctuary in late November and early December. Demonstrating her extensive use of the Bay, before visiting Bartow, Flicker was spotted in a non-winter “hot spot,” Coffeepot Bayou, and after hanging out at Bartow, she was photographed across the Bay at Tampa Bay’s largest aggregation site, TECO’s Big Bend power plant. Elsie also checked in at TECO the second week of December. I expect Vector to show up at TECO soon enough, as he has been photographed there annually for over a decade. Not to be forgotten and farther to the south, Ginger was spotted with a calf in September in the Marco Island area. This winter, she has been photographed at Lee County Manatee Park, a warm water site fed by Florida Power & Light Company’s power plant warm water discharge in Fort Myers. While I’m glad that most of our adoptees (Jemp is the lone hold out) are accounted for, I must end on a cautionary note. This winter has been unseasonably warm so far, meaning that manatees usually at the warm water aggregation sites, or very close to them, may be more dispersed and in areas that boaters may not expect to see them this time of year. While boating, please be vigilant and aware because manatees are sharing the waterways with you! For tips on how to be a safer boater in manatee habitat and other tips on conservation stewardship, visit our website at: www.savethe manatee.org/bttips.htm continued on page 8
A Manatee Baby At Blue Spring Could Be Named After You Have you ever dreamed of having a real baby manatee named after you (or someone you love – think of what a wonderful present that would make)? Well this is a dream that Photo © Walker Stanberry can come true! To commemorate the Club’s 25th Anniversary, we are holding a first-time-ever donation drawing called A Manatee Is My Namesake. The donation drawing starts now and will run through Manatee Awareness Month 2006 (November 30, 2006). The only qualification to enter the drawing is that your Save the Manatee Club membership must be active. Lapsed members or non-members are not eligible to enter the donation drawing. Just fill out the form below and send it to us with your donation of $10 per name. This is how it works: One of the baby manatees born at Blue Spring State Park during the 2006/2007 winter season will be named after you (or someone you love) if your entry is drawn. The baby manatee will then become part of our Blue Spring manatee adoption program.* The calf’s biography will include information about you and you will be mentioned on our website and in our newsletters. You will have the great satisfaction of knowing that: • a real manatee calf living in the wild is named after you • many people from around the globe will adopt the calf (who will be the youngest adoptee we’ve ever had), so you’ll be helping to enlist even more people to support manatee protection.* • much-needed funds to protect manatees will be raised for the Club (a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Blue Spring State Park for their manatee protection efforts). * Sometimes, it is difficult to identify manatee calves as they grow up in the wild. The calf will become part of the adoption program if he/she is able to be identified and there is enough information so that members can follow along. “A Manatee Is My Namesake” Donation Drawing Date: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Baby Name(s): ________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Your Name: ___________________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________________________ City: ______________________________________ State: __________________ Zip:_______________________ Daytime Telephone Number: _____________________________________________________________________ E-mail Address: _______________________________________________________________________________ Amount paid ($10 for each name submitted): $ _______________________________________________________ Pay by check, money order, or credit card (we accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express): Credit Card #:__________________________________________________ Exp. Date: ______________________ Signature: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Send form and payment to Save the Manatee Club, 500 N. Maitland Avenue, Maitland, Florida 32751. Thank you. 3
Page 1: This issue is dedicated to our memb
Page 5 and 6: Rampant Growth Threatens Spring’s
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T After 25 Years, Club's Plate Still Full - Save the Manatee Club

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