News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—October 23, 2019
Contact: media@savethemanatee.org, 407-539-0990

November is Manatee Awareness Month, and Save the Manatee Club invites you to celebrate Florida’s beloved, iconic marine mammal and discover the challenges imperiled manatees face every day.

“The best way to protect manatees is for the public to learn about their plight and how protecting them is in all our best interests if we care about healthy aquatic ecosystems,” says Patrick Rose, Executive Director of Save the Manatee Club. “Whether passively observing the beauty of our waterways or actively engaged in water-related activities such as boating, fishing, or diving, we should understand our role as responsible stewards of manatees and their habitat and how we can help protect those things we hold dear.”

The public can be actively engaged in manatee and habitat protection during Manatee Awareness Month and throughout the year by obtaining the Club’s free waterway signage, boating banners and decals, waterway cards, and educational posters. The shoreline property signs warn boaters to slow down for manatees and feature the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s hotline number (1-888-404-3922) to report sick, injured, orphaned, or harassed manatees. Send requests for the Club’s free public awareness materials via email to education@savethemanatee.org or call toll-free at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646). Get more tips and resources at savethemanatee.org/boatertips.

The public is also encouraged to visit Save the Manatee Club’s website at savethemanatee.org to learn more about manatees. In addition, educational resources are available for teachers and students. You can also view manatee webcams at ManaTV.org to see manatees in real time during the winter months or year-round on archived video. The webcams have become popular with viewers across the globe and have allowed the Club to monitor manatee behavior for research and health-related conditions.

Another way to help year-round is by adopting a real, living manatee through the Adopt-A-Manatee® program. “Adopting a manatee is a great way to learn more about this beloved species and how to help make a difference in their lives,” says Rose. An annual manatee adoption starts at $25 and includes a color biography and life history of a real manatee, an adoption certificate, a membership handbook, and subscriptions to the Club’s newsletters, which feature updated reports on the manatees in the adoption program. To learn more, visit the adoption page of the web site at savethemanatee.org/adopt.

Save the Manatee Club, a national nonprofit organization, was co-founded in 1981 by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and Bob Graham, former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator. Funds from the adoption program help with manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts; research; education and public awareness projects; conservation work to protect manatees and their habitat; and for programs in the United States, Central and South America, the Wider Caribbean, and West Africa.

Find out more information about manatees and the Adopt-A-Manatee® program. You can call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) or visit the website at savethemanatee.org, where you can also sign up for the Club’s free E-Newsletter. In addition, discover a variety of manatee items in the Club’s gift catalog at shopsavethemanatee.org.

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Save the Manatee Club, established in 1981 by the late renowned singer-songwriter, author, and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett, along with the late former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham, is dedicated to safeguarding manatees and preserving their aquatic habitat. For more information about manatees and the Club’s efforts, visit savethemanatee.org or call 1-800-432-JOIN (5646).