from - tapster@mindspring.com
TAKE ACTION! Help Stop Watercraft-Related Manatee Deaths
and Injuries in Brevard County
FWC Public Meeting, March 7, 4:00 p.m.*
Melbourne, FL
*Meeting begins, but come as soon as you can
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC)
will hold a series (2 in Brevard) of public meetings to present their
recommendations to change the manatee protection boat speed zones in
Brevard County. The first meeting is on March 7 at 4:00 p.m. at the
Brevard County Commission Chamber in Melbourne (Viera). If you can’t
make it at 4:00, please come as soon as you can make it. You don't have
to worry about staying for the whole meeting. You can write your
comments and go. All you need to do is get on record supporting stronger
manatee protection boat speed zones in Brevard County or you can also
make comments on specific areas in the county.
The FWCC needs to see a strong show of support at each
of the upcoming meetings for the rulemaking process to continue. We
desperately need EVERYONE who cares about the future survival of
manatees to come to this meeting, and the next three meetings, and show
support for strong, science-based and effective manatee protection. Even
if you choose not to speak at the meeting, your presence will let the
FWCC know that Brevard County residents demand better protection for
manatees NOW. Participating in these meetings is the most significant
direct action you can take to reduce watercraft-related manatee deaths
and injuries in Brevard County and around Florida. We will send out
additional notices, as soon as the other meeting dates are set.
Issue Summary:
Manatees are not being adequately protected (as required by law) from
boat traffic in Brevard County and many other places around the State,
and the threat is increasing. This prompted the legal action taken by
Save the Manatee Club and a coalition of other environmental groups
against the FWCC. FWCC is the state agency responsible for protecting
manatees and establishing manatee zones. In trying to reach a settlement
for the litigation, the FWC agreed to move forward and substantially
address
boat speed zones in Brevard County first, then in other identified areas
around Florida. The FWCC has only recently taken over the manatee
programs and they must see the overwhelming public support for Manatees
that exists, for them to continue to move forward with new protection
measures. This is our best chance to make a huge difference for
manatees, and what happens at the Brevard Meetings will set the stage
for what will happen in other counties. Don’t miss this critical
opportunity to make a real substantial difference for Manatees!
Brevard County Manatee Facts:
Brevard County is the most critical county for manatees in Florida and
warrants the adoption of strong science-based manatee protection boat
speed zones. Brevard County is the hub of the East Coast manatee
population, with both a large year round and migratory manatee
population present throughout the year. Brevard County has the largest
spring and winter aggregations documented in the state. In March of
1999, 790 manatees were documented in Brevard County, that's more than
1/2 of the minimum estimated East Coast manatee population (synoptic
survey 1/01). Nearly all manatees on the East Coast use Brevard's waters
at some time during the year.
Unfortunately, Brevard County leads all other counties
in total and watercraft-related manatee deaths. Approximately 19% (775)
of the all manatee mortality and 19% (184) of the watercraft-related
manatee mortalities in Florida were recovered from Brevard County waters
from 1974-2000. Watercraft-related mortality accounts for 33% of all
mortalities recovered from Brevard County where a cause of death could
be identified. The average yearly watercraft-related mortality during
the ten year period from 1991 to 2000 (10.3 per year) is nearly double
what it was ten years previously from 1981-1990 (5.5 per year). Many
other manatees are hit and scarred so frequently by watercraft, that
scientists can identify individual manatees by their scar patterns. The
average identified manatee in Brevard's waters bears scars from 5
distinct boat strikes (multiple prop scars count as 1 scar feature) or
marine debris entanglements. Some manatees have as many as 16 scar
features.
SMC's Position:
It is the position of Save the Manatee Club that the existing manatee
zones in Brevard County are horribly insufficient to protect manatees
from existing boat traffic, much less the increasing levels of human
activity in manatee habitat. Save the Manatee Club has prepared
recommendations, based on the latest scientific data, that will give
manatees the protection they need from boat traffic Brevard County. Save
the Manatee Club's recommendations include expansion and strengthening
the existing boat speed zones in the Banana and Indian Rivers, the
Canaveral Barge Canal and Sykes Creek, new boat speed zones in Turnbull
Basin, the Eau Gallie River, and Newfound Harbor, and new shoreline
buffers throughout the Indian River and along causeways.
If you have any questions, want more information, or
even if you need to arrange a ride or don't want to arrive alone please
call me at 321-385-9060 or e-mail Sandra Clinger, SMC's East Coast
Regional Coordinator at sandysmc@cfl.rr.com and she will do everything
she can to help. We can’t do it without you -- thanks for all your past
help and support.
What You Can Do!
Attend the public meeting series, beginning on March
7th, 4:00 PM, in Brevard County Commission Chamber, Building C at the
Brevard County Government Complex in Viera. You don't have to worry
about staying for the whole meeting. You can write your comments and go.
All you need to do is get on record supporting stronger manatee
protection boat speed zones in Brevard County or you can also make
comments on specific areas in Brevard County.
Wear a blue shirt, arrive early and pick up your badge
identifying you as supporting manatee protection (we will meet at across
the street from the Government Complex in the School Board parking lot
at 3:15).
Contact SMC and reserve your seat on the bus to travel
to upcoming FWCC Commission meetings on this issue.
Tell the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
representatives that the present manatee zones are not sufficient to
protect manatees in Brevard County, and that they should immediately
adopt comprehensive boat speed zones to protect manatees based on the
scientific data to the fullest extent
of their authority.
Tell the FWCC representatives that you support the
proposed recommendations to strengthen existing boat speed zones as the
minimum acceptable, but they should adopt continuous slow-speed
shoreline buffers throughout Brevard, and that you do not support any of
the proposals to weaken the existing zones.
Ask the Commission to request budget appropriations to
increase the number of on-water law enforcement officers in Brevard
County to enforce these zones including functional equipment necessary
to carry out their jobs.
If you absolutely cannot attend then please call, write,
fax, or email Governor Bush, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission, Brevard County’s legislative delegation, and your U.S.
Congress members:
Governor Jeb Bush
The Capitol
Tallahassee, FL
32399-0001
Phone: (850) 488-4441
Fax: (850) 487-0801
E-mail:
jeb@myflorida.com
Mr. David K. Meehan, Chairman
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 S. Meridian Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
Phone: (850) 487-3796 (FWCC Executive Director)
Fax: (850) 488-6988
E-mail: gfcmail@gfc.state.fl.us
You can also call the Florida Senate President's Office
at (850) 487-5229 and the Florida State Representative Clerk's Office at
(850) 488-1157. To find out the name of your U.S. senator and
representative, call 1-800-688-9889 or access the information online at:
http://scorecard.lcv.org
Upcoming Public Meetings:
The FWCC will be holding other public meetings in Florida regarding the
boat speed zone rules in Brevard County. Tentative meetings are
scheduled for March and April in Florida as follows:
March 29 and 30 in Tallahassee
April 30 or May 7 in Brevard County
May 23-25 in Palm Beach Gardens
Please check back at the SMC Web site periodically for
more updated information or call Sandra Clinger, East Central Florida
Regional Coordinator, at (321) 385-9060 for further information. You can
also e-mail Sandra at
sandysmc@cfl.rr.com
Go on to Annual Seal
Slaughter
Return to 7 March 2001 Issue
Return to Newsletters
** Fair Use Notice**
This document may contain copyrighted material, use of which has not been
specifically authorized by the copyright owners. I believe that this
not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use of the
copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law). If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your
own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner.
