From the Eyes of a West Indian Manatee:

Navigating the State of Florida

Holly Birk

June 27, 2014

LIS 688-01

Pathfinder

• All profiles are unique• Life stories are real or

inspired by fact• Content is reflected

throughout presentation

Florida Manatee Profiles

West Indian Manatee

• Trichechus manatus• Marine mammal• Three species:

Amazonian, West African & West Indian

• Florida manatee is subspecies of West Indian manatee

Manatee Details

• Warm and shallow water• Saltwater and freshwater• Mangroves and seagrass• 11 to 13 feet long• 1,100 to 1,500 pounds

Manatees on the Move

• Poor regulation of body temperature

• Migration to warm waters

• Natural springs & power plants are sources of warmth

West Indian

Manatee Range

Manatees or Mermaids?

• Columbus and his crew encountered manatees and believed them to be mermaids

• Mermaid myth inspires tourist attractions in Florida

Ponce de León & the Fountain of Youth

• Ponce de León arrives in La Florida in 1513 and claims it for Spain

• Legend claims he was searching for the Fountain of Youth

• Myth attributed to Florida’s natural springs

Era of Spanish Rule

Era of British Rule

American State of Florida

Florida Expansion

• Creation of railways and roads leads to rapid development starting in late 19th

century• Early signs of

human impact on Florida environment

Tourism Industry

• With new transportation options, resorts were developed along the coasts

• Advertisements drew people in with depictions of beautiful beaches and perfect weather

Population Growth

• Expanding human footprint• Coasts have highest

population density• Marine and freshwater

habitats are being destroyed to facilitate new construction

Wetlands

Destruction

Loss of Seagrass & Mangroves

Deaths by Watercraft

Deaths by Locks & Floodgates

Manatee Harassment

• Humans frequently ride and harass manatees

• Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and Endangered Species Act of 1973

• Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act of 1978

Humans Helping

Critical Habitat Protection

Conservation or Extinction?

Images

Slide 1:

Sopchoppy River Background - http://domnozziadventures.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/sopchoppy-river-907.jpgSlide 2:

Lagoon Background – http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/51249948.jpgManatee Card Image - http://www.globalanimal.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/manatee6.jpg

Slide 3: Seagrass Background – http://www.zeitnews.org/node/images/stories/storypics/SpaceScience/seagrass2_h.jpg

Manatee Photo - http://eol.org/data_objects/26778923 (Photo by the U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey – Photographer)

Slide 4:Sand Background – http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/148/7/4/beach_sand_texture_3_by_divasoftware-

d3hf74j.jpgSprings Photo – http://eol.org/data_objects/26929011

Manatee Grass Photo – https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/seagrass/manatee.html (Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey)

Diagram – Reynolds, J. E., III, & Wells, R. S. (2003). Dolphins, whales, and manatees of Florida: A guide to sharing their world. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.

Slide 5:Lagoon Background - http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/51249948.jpg

Power Plant Photo - http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/cold-contributes-to-mass-die-off-of-manatees/nLzYz/Manatees Huddle Photo – http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/img/2013/04/15-social-manatees-

winter_1600.jpg (Photo by Paul Nicklen)Springs Map - http://www.floridasprings.org/visit/map/ (Map from Florida’s Springs: Protecting Nature’s Gems

Website)Slide 6:

Map Background - http://maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?id=22103 (Map from IUCN Website)Slide 7:

Ocean Background –http://www.swfmas.com/forum/public/style_images/SWFMAS_Custom/_backgrounds/bg_ocean.jpg

Mermaid Photo - http://mholloway63.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/what-happened-on-january-9th-christopher-columbus-see-mermaids-seriously/

Manatee Photo - https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/9031616753/in/set-72157634099822775 (Photo on Biodiversity Heritage Library Flickr)

Slide 8:Waves Background - http://todoinfl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Florida-Beach.jpg

Fountain of Youth Photo – Kilby, R. (2013). Finding the fountain of youth: Ponce de León and Florida's magical waters. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.

Slide 9:1714 Map Background –

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=253585&imageID=434953(La Floride, by Pierre Van Der Aa, 1714)

Slide 10:1776 Map Background – http://collections.dartmouth.edu/published-

derivatives/ocm79666972/jpeg/ocm79666972_014.jpg(A General Map of the Southern British Colonies in America, by Bernard Romans, 1776)

Slide 11:1861 Map Background – http://www.loc.gov/item/99447266/

(Birds eye view of Florida and part of Georgia and Alabama, by John Bachmann, 1861)Slide 12:

Sand Background – http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/148/7/4/beach_sand_texture_3_by_divasoftware-d3hf74j.jpg

Map Photo -http://128.227.24.32:8080/ImageServer/imageserver?res=4&viewwidth=1536&viewheight=1536&rotation=0&filenam

e=UF\00\05\36\87\00001\UF00053687.jp2 (By the FLorida State Road Department, 1917)Advertisement Photo -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_East_Coast_Railway#mediaviewer/File:1913_Florida_East_Coast_Railway_advert.jpg (Photo on Wikipedia Website)

Slide 13:

Sand Background – http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/148/7/4/beach_sand_texture_3_by_divasoftware-d3hf74j.jpg

Gulf Stream Map Photo - Kilby, R. (2013). Finding the fountain of youth: Ponce de León and Florida's magical waters. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.

Image downloaded from: http://svapicsandmags.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/magic-of-the-gulf-stream-1926.jpg Slide 14:

Foam Background – http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/047/9/8/ocean_foam____by_pandi1818-d4pxk2f.jpgNight Photo - http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/166587600/new-nasa-images-show-the-earth-s-

electric-light-show (Photo from NASA Images)Chart – Compiled and made from information found from Florida Census Wikipedia Website

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FloridaSlide 15:

Wetlands Background - http://harvardpolitics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/20111007160144.jpgCitrus Map – Raisz, E. (1964). Atlas of Florida. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press.

Double Florida Map - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/DeepFreeze/Images/florida_landcover_change.gif (Photo from NASA Website)

Wetlands Florida Map – Hampson, P. S. (1984). Wetlands in Florida [map]. (ca. 1:2,000,000.) Florida Bureau of Geology map series, no. 109. Tallahassee, FL: Florida Dept. of Natural Resources, Bureau of Geology.

Slide 16:Seagrass Background – http://www.zeitnews.org/node/images/stories/storypics/SpaceScience/seagrass2_h.jpg

GIS Florida Map – Link to website used for creating this on Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Chart - http://www.tbep.org/pdfs/FloridasSeagrasses.pdf (Document by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

Seagrass Photo - http://www.tbep.org/pdfs/FloridasSeagrasses.pdf (Document by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)

Slide 17:GIS Florida Map – GIS data from http://ocean.floridamarine.org/mrgis/Description_Layers_Marine.htm

(GIS data imaged using Google Earth)Slide 18:

GIS Florida Map - GIS data from http://ocean.floridamarine.org/mrgis/Description_Layers_Marine.htm(GIS data imaged using Google Earth)

Slide 19:Lagoon Background - http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/51249948.jpg

Manatee & Swimmer Photo - http://www.savethemanatee.org/ta_harassment.htmManatee & Man Photo – http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/5080/20130220/man-arrested-harassing-

manatee-florida.htmSlide 20:

Keys Background - http://sojournerky.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/dsc08459.jpgManatee Cartoon Photo – http://www.savethemanatee.org/news_pr_buddy_sign_4-09.html

Manatee Caution Photo - http://firstsign.com/images/manatee-sign-caution-boaters-firstsign.jpgKayaker Slow Photo - http://www.savethemanatee.org/news_pr_memorial_5-07.htm

Seaworld Rescue Photo - https://www.flickr.com/photos/seaworldparks/4924478994/ (Photo from Seaworld Parks Flickr)

South Florida Rescue Photo - http://americanunderwaterproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/SFM8.jpg Slide 21:

GIS Florida Map - GIS data from http://ocean.floridamarine.org/mrgis/Description_Layers_Marine.htm(GIS data imaged using Google Earth)

Slide 22:Foam Background – http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2012/047/9/8/ocean_foam____by_pandi1818-d4pxk2f.jpg

Snooty Photo - http://ukeepcommission.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Snooty-the-Manatee.jpgSlide 23:

Keys Background - http://sojournerky.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/dsc08459.jpg