News

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Adoption Update

By Kate Spratt, Park Services Specialist, HSWSP

Fall brings us shorter days—and some highly celebrated cooler weather. Walking along the park’s 1.1 miles of winding paths and boardwalks provides ample opportunity to see our resident animal ambassadors, such as red wolves, birds of prey, Florida panthers, black bears, alligators, and more. As always, some of the biggest stars of the park are the manatees, both resident and wild.
The gates to the spring open on November 15, allowing wild manatees to come in and enjoy the warmth from the spring during the cold months.

Heinz and adoptable manatees Ariel and Betsy enjoyed time out in the spring and spring run, consuming native vegetation that had grown over the summer during renovations to the park’s Underwater Observatory (UWO). Ever curious, Betsy and Ariel had to check every corner and edge of the spring run for anything new and took extra time checking out the new windows in the UWO. I wonder if they see the inside differently through the clear windows, or if they can see their reflection?

All three girls are now back in the paddocks, with access to the warm waters of the in-ground pool until the gates close at the end of manatee season.

Want to know if we have lots of manatees in the spring? Check the Gulf water temperature near Homosassa! We use the USGS station at Marker 14 near Homosassa for water temperature readings. If those readings are under 70 °F, we will likely have more manatees. Or you can view our live manatee webcams at savethemanatee.org/webcams.

Another neat way to view manatees is during our Friends of Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park’s holiday event, The Celebration of Lights. The event is December 19-23 and 26-27. Come into the park at night, enjoy entertainment, and view wild manatees in the spring. It is truly a unique experience!
Want to support Ariel or Betsy? You can adopt them through Save the Manatee Club and help fund vital care, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts. Visit savethemanatee.org/adopt to learn more.