The Save the Manatee Club turns 30 years old in 2011. Over the span of three decades the club has accomplished many goals. Despite its achievements, the club recognizes much still needs to be done to insure the species' survival into the future.
Jimmy Buffet and the Florida Governor Join Forces
Listed as an endangered species Internationally by IUCN World Conservation Union, federally by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and at the state level by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the manatee was in dire need of people's help. Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffet and Senator Bob Graham (at that time serving as Florida's Governor) answered this need and together formed the membership based organization in 1981.
The Save the Manatee Club was created to protect the endangered manatee, not just in Florida, but worldwide, from habitat loss, negative human encounters and natural conditions that pose a threat to their wellbeing, such as cold water temperatures. To achieve these goals the club:
- Worked tirelessly to increase awareness and educate the public about manatees
- Sponsored programs designed to rescue injured or ill manatees, rehabilitate them and release them back into the wild
- Backed manatee research
- Advocated instituting protection measures such as manatee speed zones and the creation of sanctuaries
- Supported conservation actions
- Lobbied for government support with protection issues and held policy makers accountable
The club began operating and drumming up support with the public by bringing the plight of the creature often referred to as a gentle giant to the forefront.
How the Club Helps the Manatee
Fearing the manatee would be disturbed in, or worse displaced from, a place of warmth during the cold winter months when the warmth of spring fed water is essential, in 2009 The Save the Manatee Club was instrumental in halting the construction of a 400 slip marina in the Rodman Reservoir. There was concern the marina would interfere with the restoration of the Ocklawaha River. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website, the Ocklawaha River is primarily formed from the waters from Silver River which is fed from Silver Springs.
The Save the Manatee Club worked diligently beside other private and public entities to secure a 57.8 acre property from private developers. As was noted in Brenda Behrendt's article "Three Sisters Springs Finally in Public Hands" in the July 29, 2010 issue of the St. Petersburg Times, the land, referred to as Three Sisters Springs, sold for $10.5 million in 2010. The land is now publicly owned and being managed as part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.
There are many other ways the club has worked to help manatees as stated on their website:
- Rallying grassroots support
- Volunteers educating the public at events across the U.S.
- Creating radio and tv public service annoucements with the help of celebrities
- Providing an Educator's Guide with classroom activities
- Supporting research
- Purchasing and donating law enforcement and rescue equipement (including vessels)
- Facilitating rescues worldwide
Members of The Save the Manatee Club provide the funding and manpower needed to continue to meet their goals of protecting and preserving the manatee populations around the world.
Manatee Adoptions Program
Funds are raised through a program where people may select a manatee and send in a donation of $25 or more to adopt it. Adoptive parents receive:
- Adoption certificate
- Full color photograph
- Biography of their manatee
- Membership handbook
- The Manatee Zone - official club newsletter announcing adopted manatee updates
- Paddle Tale the e-newsletter
For a donation of $35 or more, members will receive the 30th Anniversary Wall Calendar for 2011.
It's unlikely Jimmy Buffet or Senator Bob Graham could foresee the accomplishments their organization would achieve, but surely the manatees have benefited from its formation. The Save the Manatee Club continues to be a collective force promoting the wellbeing of manatees worldwide.
Information for this article was found on The Save the Manatee Club website. Please visit them to find out more about The Save the Manatee Club or to learn about the endangered manatee.
Source
Save the Manatee Club. "About SMC." Accessed January 7, 2010.
Bridget Cohen - I've been freelance writing since 1981 and my work has appeared in numerous print publications including Cat Fancy, Family Pet Magazine, ...
