With their habitat shrinking, their numbers dropping, and the state and federal governments fighting to avoid protecting them, manatees in Florida are in a precarious position right now, and they need all the help they can get. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to help protect them:

• Latch onto a License Plate: Take part in the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles program that gives motorists the opportunity to purchase a "Save the Manatee" license plate for an additional $15 per year. Proceeds go to manatee and environmental research, protection, and education programs.

  Manatee Protection Update

  On Dec. 5, 2007, after receiving thousands of emails and strong encouragement from Governor Crist, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted to defer downlisting the manatee and to adopt the proposed management plan.

• Join the Club: You can work with private organizations, including the Save the Manatee Club and its Adopt-A-Manatee program, to support unreleasable manatees who live in sanctuaries throughout the state. The Save the Manatee Club also supports research, education, and conservation programs; promotes protective legislation; and produces a newsletter for the public.

• Become a Manatee-Safe Boater: Collisions with boats are the leading cause of manatee deaths. Boat owners can help reduce the risk of hitting manatees by avoiding, as much as possible, the coastal waters of Florida and surrounding manatee habitats. They should respect speed limits in Manatee Zones, use propeller guards on small motorboats, and donate to manatee protection by purchasing a manatee decal when registering for boating licenses.

  Boaters should also remember to wear polarized sunglasses, which will help you see below the water's surface; stay in deep water channels and follow all posted boat speed regulations; and avoid boating over shallow seagrass beds, where manatees might be feeding.
  
  If you see a manatee when operating a powerboat, remember to maintain a safe distance of at least 50 feet and cut your motor if you are nearby.

• Report Manatees in Trouble: If you see an injured, dead, harassed, tagged, or orphaned manatee, contact The FFWCC at its manatee hotline: 1-888-404-FWCC, *FWC on your cellular phone, or use VHF Channel 16 on your marine radio.

• Urge Florida to protect endangered species. Ask the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to review the state's listing criteria for imperiled species and revise it so that it matches that of the federal government or the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

• Tell the Federal Government to Protect Manatees. The federal government is considering downgrading its protection of manatees, even though more manatees are being killed in Florida waters than ever. Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to honor its obligation to this jeopardized species. Watch this website for updates on congressional, state or federal proposals that would weaken manatee protection—then make your voice heard.  

Updated Dec. 6, 2007.