Gulf Restoration Network

Act now to protect Florida's manatees

Manatees in Florida will only survive when Floridians who value our waterways, our wildlife, and all those things that make Florida such an amazing and special place act and speak out for manatees. The Governor and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) need to hear from people who want manatees protected, who expect the FFWCC to protect and manage Florida's wildlife for generations, and want a fair balance between recreation and species conservation.

Send an online letter to Florida's Governor Charlie Crist, FFWCC Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto, and FFWCC Executive Director Ken Haddad, opposing the manatee's downlisting. Please add why you care about Florida's manatees in the first line of the letter.

November 21, 2009

Subject:

Please do not downlist the manatee.  As a Floridian who values our environment, and wants good government that bases decisions in science and not politics I urge you to stop the downlisting process for the manatee.

Florida’s human population growth is having serious adverse, and in many cases, irreversible effects on manatees and their aquatic ecosystems. Threats to the manatee’s long-term survival include a growing number of boats on Florida’s waters, the probable future loss of both natural and artificial warm-water habitat that will very likely result in losses in the manatee population, increasing coastal development, and the strong probability of future rollbacks in protective regulations.

I also want to urge the FFWCC to revise Florida’s imperiled species listing/delisting rule criteria, which sets the bar way too high for manatees and other rare Florida species to retain their “endangered” status.

Floridians who truly value Florida’s waterways and wildlife support strong state efforts to protect species, habitat, and ensure that future generations of Floridians will know and love the Florida we enjoy today.  Please do not downlist the manatee.

Thank you for your consideration.

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