———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Save the Manatee Club - action [at] savethemanatee.org
Date: Jul 21, 2006 12:59 PM
Subject: Speak Up for Manatees!

Public Input Needed On State Manatee Management Plan

As you know, over the objections of numerous scientists and thousands of citizens, on June 7, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted to downlist manatees from Endangered to Threatened status in Florida. They did so despite the fact that the state’s own scientific assessment shows that manatees clearly met the international criteria for endangered species.

Save the Manatee Club and 16 other organizations filed a legal petition asking the FWC to fix its flawed imperiled species classification system. But the state is proceeding with the downlisting process. Phase 2 of this process involves the development and approval of a management plan, and the FWC is currently seeking public input on the plan by August 8, 2006. This is where you come in. We need you to be a voice for manatees!

What You Can Do:

1. Please help protect manatees by sending your comments

We would like the FWC to receive as many personalized letters or emails as possible from manatee supporters living in and outside of Florida. We know it takes a bit more time, but it’s worth it to make sure that manatees get as much protection as possible under the new plan. Comments must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on August 8, 2006. (See our suggestions for what the management plan should include below.)

Manatee Management Plan Comments, DHSC
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
620 South Meridian Street
Mail Station 6A
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600

Comments can also be submitted by email to manatee_plan [at] myfwc.com.

2. Please make a donation now. You will be helping us do whatever it takes to make sure manatees are protected under the new management plan.

Click here to donate now

3. Please forward this email to as many people as you can.

Thank you for your help on this important issue for manatees!

Suggested Comments:

The state’s management plan should include:

-The adoption of the entire federal recovery plan, which is more species specific and addresses habitat stability. (Manatees remain endangered on the federal list.)

-A contingency plan for power plants going off line, so manatees don’t lose warm water sources upon which they have come to depend. Unless this is done, literally hundreds of manatees will likely die of cold stress.

-Constitutional protections for Florida’s endangered and threatened species.

-Moving up the timelines for setting minimum flows for Florida’s springs so manatees’ natural warm water sources don’t disappear.

- A mandatory manatee education program for boaters. (Although more than 90% of Florida’s boaters favor such a program, the marine industry is still fighting against it.)

-A cumulative effects analysis of waterfront development and its impacts on manatees and manatee habitat.

-A system of refuges and sanctuaries for manatees connected by travel corridors.

Sign up for our free Paddle Tales E-Newsletter: Go to www.savethemanatee.org/enews_signup.htm

Our postal address is:

500 N. Maitland Ave.
Maitland, Florida 32751
United States

About SMC
Save the Manatee Club is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 by former Florida Governor Bob Graham and singer Jimmy Buffett. To learn more about manatees and our work, go to www.savethemanatee.org

Join Us!
Adopt-A-Manatee and join Save the Manatee Club. Your contribution will support our work to help protect endangered manatees and their habitat. For more information, go to www.savethemanatee.org/adoptpag.htm

Pass It Along
Help spread the word about manatees! Please forward this action alert to your family and friends. If you got this message from a friend, sign up to receive our Action Alerts at our Take Action page at www.savethemanatee.org/action.htm

Questions?
You can get updates on Action Alert issues by visiting the Take Action page of our web site. If you have additional questions, e-mail us at action [at] savethemanatee.org