Defenders of Wildlife Blog

Make way for manatees! That was the message coming from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) yesterday, with the establishment of new manatee protection zones in the state’s Flagler County. The move is an effort to protect the marine mammals in the summer months, when they are most likely to be found in the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County, and when increased boat traffic presents a greater risk of injury. And so from May 1 through Sept 7 (once the signs are posted), 2.7 miles of the 18.6 miles of Intracoastal Waterway channel will become slow zones.

The conservation measure aims to improve manatee protection while limiting the impact on local businesses and boaters. Kipp Frohlich, leader of the FWC’s Imperiled Species section, said of the new measure, “In summer, when the new manatee protection zones are in effect, the time needed for a boater to travel the entire length of the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County will increase by about 15 minutes.”

Collisions with watercraft continues to be the leading human-caused threat to Florida manatees, as the slow-moving manatees often cannot avoid the speed boats and other watercraft that frequent the waterways they call home. As a result, propellers and boat hulls inflict serious or mortal wounds, and most manatees have a pattern of scars on their backs or tails after surviving collisions with boats.

Defenders works to protect manatees from fast-moving boats, and has been advocating additional slow speed zones in dangerous areas such as Flagler County since 1997. Florida representative Elizabeth Fleming testified in support of establishing the zones, reminding commissioners yesterday that the state manatee management plan they adopted in 2007 identified addressing manatee-boat strikes in Flagler County as a priority action.

“With more and more boaters using the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County, these areas have become increasingly dangerous for manatees,” she said. “We’re pleased that FWC Commissioners voted to establish the protection zones and make these critical areas safer for the marine mammals.”

That wasn’t the only good news for sea cows this month: on April 26, the FWC denied a petition to undo protections for manatees that went into effect just this year, upholding the establishment of a manatee refuge in the waters of Florida’s Kings Bay that will expand protections for the animals at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

Learn more:

Read more about Florida manatees and what Defenders is doing to protect these unique animals.

One man’s trash is a Florida black bear’s treasure. And unless you take action to keep your garbage out of reach, you could play host to one of these furry foragers over and over again. Fortunately, Defenders is on the job. As part of our efforts to help Sunshine State residents live safely in bear country, we provide support for placing bear-proof dumpsters in locations around the state. Watch this video to learn more about our dumpster project in De Leon Springs State Park–and the instant results it saw–from Defenders’ Laurie Macdonald and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Mike Orlando.

Photo courtesy Allen Loyd.

13th Annual Black Bear Festival a Success

Last month, Defenders staff and our 12 volunteers were proud to host the 13th Annual Black Bear Festival in Umatilla, Florida, the “Gateway to the Ocala National Forest” and prime black bear country. With live music, good food, arts and crafts and field trips to the Ocala National Forest and Black Bear Scenic Highway, it was a day of family fun but also education for the nearly three thousand Sunshine State residents who attended on how to live peacefully alongside a rebounding bear population. To the right, Defenders’ Shannon Miller demonstrates how to build a livestock enclosure to help protect hobby livestock and pets from predators such as black bears.

Bears Get Love in Alaska, Too!

Since many of Alaska’s bears emerge from dens in early spring, April was the ideal time for Governor Sean to declare “Bear Awareness Month” throughout the Last Frontier. The move is an effort to “encourage all Alaskans to educate themselves on the importance of awareness and safety issues surrounding Alaska’s bears and wildlife, thereby helping to ensure the future of our Alaskan wildlife heritage.”

Gov. Scott vetoed the Jurassic Park bill, which would have allowed state zoos to lease state lands for research on animals like rhinos.

Which is worse: an elephant in the room or rhino in the backyard? Thanks to a move by Florida Governor Rick Scott, residents of the Sunshine State won’t have to find out–at least for now. He put an end to the state’s controversial “Jurassic Park” bill on Friday, vetoing the piece of legislation that would have allowed state zoos and aquariums to lease state-owned land to conduct breeding and research on animals including giraffes, zebras and rhinos.

While rejecting HB 1117,, Gov. Scott wrote that it “lacks sufficient safeguards” to “ensure the protection of state … lands, native species and habitats.” That’s a message Defenders has been delivering to Tallahassee ever since the Florida Legislature sent the measure to Gov. Scott’s desk in March. Evidence shows that exotic animals and plants can cause serious costly damage to our public lands, and present an array of serious problems including the escape of animals, the spread of nonnative seed from feed, and potential spread of disease.

Florida ecosystems and native wildlife are already at risk from exotic species run wild. And as America saw last fall in Ohio, escaped animals may even pose a threat to people and property.

Defenders’ Laurie Macdonald said of the bill’s rejection, “Gov. Scott’s veto signals a commitment to protecting the natural Florida we all know and love. Now our public land managers can concentrate on fulfilling their mission of protecting and restoring native wildlife and habitat—without fear of an angry rhino stomping on  those plans.”

Animals like the Florida panther depend on the state's public lands for survival.

This victory comes with a caveat – technically the state already has the authority to lease lands out to this purpose. But as Laurie warned the Tampa Bay Times, “We will be watching very closely any applications for this use.”

YOU DID IT!

Thanks go out to the thousands of Defenders supporters wrote to Gov. Scott asking him to veto this misguided bill. Your efforts help protect the native wildlife that makes Florida such a unique and special place!

Learn more about how we’re working to protect Florida wildlife and habitats.

Adolescent male panther crossing CR 832/Keri Road. Photo © Robert Repenning.

Progress was made for Florida panthers on Monday night, when the Sunshine State’s Hendry County put into effect a new slow speed nighttime panther zone on a 5.25 mile stretch of CR 832/Keri Road. The road’s posted speed limit will now drop from 55 to 45 mph at night, when panthers are most active and visibility for motorists is low.

A rural road that bisects the Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, Keri Road (pronounced kee-rye) is a documented danger zone for panthers and other wildlife. Nine panthers are known to have been killed by vehicles on CR 832, six of which were within the state forest. While the road has a posted speed limit of 55 mph, many drivers exceed that speed. When the Hendry County Engineering Department recorded vehicle speeds on the road in August 2011, they found that 85 percent of motorists drove 65-70 mph, despite the legal speed limit of 55 mph.

The new designation will not only allow the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and its law enforcement partners to warn drivers and enforce the speed limit in the state forest on Keri Road, but it will help to increase awareness about driving carefully on CR 832 and other rural roads.

Keri Road is a documented danger zone for panthers and other wildlife–nine panthers are known to have been killed by vehicles on CR 832, six of which were within the state forest.

Defenders’ Laurie Macdonald said, “For years, Keri Road has been a very dangerous roadway for panthers as well as for people. Now, thanks to the support of landowners, natural resource agencies and conservationists, Hendry County has taken an important first step toward improving passage for panthers and other wildlife across this stretch of highway. We are very hopeful that the reduced speed limit will raise awareness about the need to drive carefully and watch out for wildlife.”

Collisions with vehicles is one of the leading causes of death for Florida panthers. In 2009, 17 panthers—a record high—were killed while crossing roads, and in 2010, 16 panthers met a similar fate. For a species whose population is believed to be just 100-160 animals, even the loss of a single cat is significant.

Learn more:

Defenders’ Elizabeth Fleming caught sight of her first wild panther the same night the Keri Road slow zone was approved. Read about her firsthand encounter with one of the state’s iconic cats. 

Where does Florida’s state animal stand today? Read our Q&A with Laurie Macdonald to find out!

Check out the slideshow of Keri Road’s new slow zone below, courtesy of panther advocate and Defenders volunteer Eric Myer.

PausePlayPlayPrev|Next

Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, (c) Eric Myer

Keri Road bisects Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest.

Panther X-ing Ahead, (c) Eric Myer

Signs alert motorists to the slow zone.

Slow zone speed limits, (c) Eric Myer

Nighttime speeds on Keri Road now drop from 55 to 45mph.

Keri Road panther crossing, (c) Eric Myer

The new slow zone will help to increase awareness about driving carefully on CR 832 and other rural roads where wildlife may be present.

The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983, and is the only refuge created for the purpose of protecting manatees.

BREAKING: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced the establishment of a manatee refuge in the waters of Florida’s Kings Bay that will expand protections for manatees at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.

The new rules designate most of Kings Bay as a slow-speed area, limit high-speed activities in a popular summer water sports area, provide temporary no-entry areas and allow for expansion of “manatee sanctuary” areas where waterborne activities would be prohibited on especially cold days to shelter manatees. The regulations also ban chasing or pursuing manatees, disturbing or touching them while they are feeding or resting, and separating a mother and a calf.

Elizabeth Fleming, Florida representative for Defenders of Wildlife, said, “Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is the most important wintering site for manatees in northwest Florida and one of the best places to see manatees in the entire state. By adopting these new rules, the Fish and Wildlife Service has taken a first step towards helping the refuge better serve its purpose—to safeguard this vulnerable marine mammal. However, without the removal of the dangerous high-speed water sports zone, manatees and people will continue to be at risk in Kings Bay.”

Manatee deaths reached a record high of 766 in 2010, followed by the death of over 450 animals in 2011. Nearly 400 of these died from exposure during an extended period of cold weather.

Due to its naturally occurring warm water springs, Kings Bay, Fla. has been increasingly popular among wintering manatees. But despite the existing network of sanctuaries and other protections in Kings Bay, it remains a very dangerous waterway as manatees are hit by fast-moving boats and harassed by tourists wanting to interact with them. Having flexibility for managers to increase the area and duration of warm-water sanctuary areas will help ensure that manatees in Kings Bay will survive cold winters.

YOU DID IT! Defenders supporters generated almost 54,000 comments in favor of stronger protections for manatees in Kings Bay. Thanks for all your help!

By: Stephanie Carroll Carson, Public News Service – FL

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Listen to this story with Defenders’ Laurie Macdonald on the Public News Service.

The Jurassic Park bill would allow state zoos to lease state lands for research on animals like rhinos.

TAMPA, Fla. – Living next to a state-owned park in Florida might lead its neighbors to expect they would be living next to native species. However, they might see more exotic critters if a bill passed on Friday by the Florida Legislature is signed into law.

HB 1117, known as the Jurassic Park Bill, would allow 16 state zoos and aquariums to lease state-owned land to conduct research on animals including giraffes, zebras and rhinos.

The bill’s supporters say it will help preserve endangered species in places such as Africa. However, Laurie MacDonald, Defenders of Wildlife’s Florida director, questions their reasoning.

“I am just astonished people who care about conservation of species on other continents would want to put non-natives on our public lands.”

MacDonald and other opponents of the bill say allowing the non-native animals will endanger other species and pose some property risks, as well as placing additional demands on the state’s wildlife resource employees at a time when funding is scarce.

Dave Sumpter, who heads the group Wildlands Conservation, is concerned that allowing exotic species to be housed on public lands also will disturb long-term plans to link the natural travel corridors for native species such as bears – or even lure native species into problem behaviors.

The presence of exotic species could threaten efforts to protect habitat for native animals like black bears.

“If you have a block of land that’s got to be contained specifically to hold zebras, it also won’t allow for passing of our native species, like deer.”

The Jurassic Park Bill also allows for exotic, non-native birds. Sumpter notes the inability to contain winged animals means they’re likely to escape the designated habitat. Opponents also question why public lands should be available where private lands could be used instead.

The bill now goes to the governor’s desk. Its text is online at flasenate.gov.

Learn more:

Read more about what the Jurassic Park bill could mean for Florida wildlife in the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.