Standing-Watch.org A Boating Coalition

SEASONAL MANATEE SPEED ZONES TAKE EFFECT
November 25, 2002
Contact: Kipp Frohlich (850) 922-4330

Florida's waters are cooling down, and manatees are beginning to move to warmer waters in the south and at springs and power plants. Boaters should be aware that many Florida waterways have seasonal speed zones that change this time of year with manatee migration.
Manatees prefer water temperatures above 68 degrees and if exposed to colder temperatures for prolonged periods can become sick or die. Manatees tend to travel to the same warm-water areas each winter.
Boaters in manatee congregation areas or known manatee travel routes should proceed slowly, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
"Scan the water near or in front of your boat for any swirls that look
like a huge footprint, a repetitive line of half moon swirls, a mud trail or any breaking of the surface by a snout or a tail," manatee biologist Kipp Frohlich said. "If you see a manatee, give it plenty of room. The manatee may not be alone. It may have a calf or be traveling with other manatees that are close by."
He said anyone who sees an injured, dead, orphaned or tagged manatee, or one that is being harassed, should call the FWC Division of Law Enforcement on VHF Channel 16 or by mobile phone at *FWC. The Resource Protection Hotline number is 1-888-404-FWCC.
"If you can locate the injured or orphaned animal again, stay nearby and report its location and direction of travel," Frohlich said. "The more information you can provide, the better chance there is that an injured or orphaned manatee can be rescued, rehabilitated and returned to the population to reproduce again."
To help ensure manatees have a safer migration this year, the FWC
suggests boaters also stay in marked channels, wear polarized sunglasses to improve vision, abide by posted boat speed zones and pole, paddle or use trolling motors when over shallow seagrass beds.
More information about manatees is available on the Internet at
floridaconservation.org/psm <http://www.floridaconservation.org/psm>.
BA/hpc/OIS
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Winter* (Manatee-related) Boat Speed Zone Changes By County
Brevard County:
November 15 - March 31
* No Entry and Motorboats Prohibited zones - North Indian River
Area around discharge canals of the Delespine Power Plant and FP&L Frontenac Power Plant.
* Idle Speed zone - West of ICW in general vicinity of power
plants.
Broward County:
November 15 - March 31
* Idle Speed - Port Everglades Power Plant area including part of
the discharge canal. Portions of the South New River Canal and Dania
Cut-off Canal near the Lauderdale Power Plant.
* Slow Speed - Intracoastal Waterway from Palm Beach County line through Hillsboro Inlet south to Burnham Point. (Note: some portions are weekend-only slow speed)
Citrus County:
September 1 through February 28
* 25 MPH - Lower (western) portions of the Withlacoochee River and
Bennetts Creek.
September 1 through March 31
* 25 MPH - Lower (western) portions of the Chassahowitzka River.
September 1 through April 30
* Idle Speed or Slow Speed - Portions of Kings Bay.
October 1 through April 30
* Slow Speed - Portions of the Homosassa River between the Salt
River and Trade Winds Marina and southern portion of Halls River.
November 15 through April 30
* Slow Speed - All waters in the vicinity of the Florida Power
Corp. effluent canal.

November 15 through March 31 (NEW!)
* No Entry - Within the Blue Waters area of the upper Homosassa
River near
Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park.
Dade County:
November 15 through April 30
* No Entry - Within areas of the Biscayne Canal, Little River and
Coral Gables Canal.
* Slow Speed - Within portions of Meloy (or East) Channel and
portions of ICW in Dumfoundling Bay and Biscayne Bay between Broad Causeway and Venetian Causeway.
Hillsborough County:
November 15 through March 31
* Motorboats Prohibited - Portions of the discharge canal of the
TECO
Power Plant in Apollo Beach.
* Idle Speed and Slow Speed - General vicinity of the TECO Power
Plant in Apollo Beach and portions of the Alafia River.
Indian River County:
November 1 - April 30
* Slow Speed - Within Sand and Shell islands area, Channel Marker 66 south to Channel Marker 75; Jungle Trail Narrows (outside channel); IndianRiver area from Hobert Lodge Marina to North Canal, and from Channel Marker 156 south to St. Lucie County line west of ICW.
Lee County:
November 15 through March 31
* No Entry - Discharge canal of the FP&L Tice Power Plant.
* Idle Speed and Slow Speed - Portions of the ICW channel on the
Caloosahatchee River in the vicinity of the Tice Power Plant.
* 25 MPH - Portions of Estero Bay, Hurricane Bay, Hell Peckrey Bay and Hendry Creek.
* Seasonally Unregulated - Cayo Costa, North Captiva, Captiva and St. James City areas.
Palm Beach County:
November 15 - March 31
* Motorboats Prohibited - within general vicinity of FP&L Riviera
Beach
Power Plant discharge canals.
* Slow Speed - Outside the main channel in the Loxahatchee River, and in the North and Southwest forks of the Loxahatchee River.
* Idle Speed and Slow Speed Zones - Look for shore-to-shore speed zone changes north and south of Peanut Island near the FP&L Riviera Beach Power Plant.
St. Lucie County:
November 15 - March 31
* Motorboats Prohibited - Within Moore's Creek.
November 15 - April 15
* Slow Speed - Within Garfield Cut/Fish House Cove Area.
November 15 - April 30
* Slow Speed - Within ICW channel between North Beach Causeway south to Channel Marker 189 and within the Shark Cut Channel in the Ft. Pierce Inlet area.
Volusia County:
September 1 through March 31
* 25 MPH - Portions of the Tomoka River and Spruce Creek.
October 15 through April 15
* Motorboats Prohibited - Blue Spring Run.
* Slow Speed - St. Johns River, south of Lake Beresford to Channel Marker 67.
Source of Information:
Complete copies of individual county waterway rules can be accessed
through
<http://election.dos.state.fl.us/fac/index.shtml> or
<http://floridaconservation.org/psm/manatee/rules.htm> or by contacting the FWC at (850) 922-4330.
Zone Definitions:
* Idle Speed (No wake) - Lowest speed needed to maintain steering.
(Speed
used when docking a boat)
* Slow Speed (No excessive wake) - settled in the water, not
plowing. Allows boats to move through an area without impacting natural resources, shoreline erosion or other boaters.
* Motorboats Prohibited Zone - Entry is prohibited for any vessel
being propelled or powered by machinery.
* No Entry - No vessel or other human related activities allowed.
This news release can be found at:
http://floridaconservation.org/whatsnew/seasonalmsz-st.html

BLUE WATERS HAS TWO NEW MANATEE PROTECTION AREAS
November 25, 2002
Contact: Kipp Frohlich (850) 922-4330
Two new manatee protection areas are in effect now at Blue Waters in
Citrus County. The areas, which are posted with signs and buoys, prohibit people and boats from entry until March 31 to provide manatees safe places to spend the winter, away from swimmers, divers and boaters.
The Blue Waters, which refers to the headwaters area of the Homosassa River, provides an important warm-water refuge to more than 100 manatees each winter. The area's clear spring waters make it a popular site for wildlife lovers to view manatees in the wild.
The central portion of Blue Waters will remain open for public access
including swimming, diving and fishing.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently designated Blue Waters a
federal sanctuary with identical boundaries and effective dates as the
state-designated protection zone. Federal agents and FWC officers will enforce these new regulations.
More information about manatee protection efforts is available on the
Internet
at www.floridaconservation.org/psm
<http://www.floridaconservation.org/psm>.
BA/hpc/OIS
This news release can be found at:
http://floridaconservation.org/whatsnew/bluewaters-st.html

ROBERTS, BARRETO ASSUME FWC LEADERSHIP POSTS
November 27, 2002
CONTACT: Henry Cabbage (850) 488-8843
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) recently
elected Dr. Edwin P. Roberts, 45, of Pensacola, as its new chairman and Rodney L.Barreto, 45, as the new vice chairman.
Roberts is a chiropractor and serves as team physician for the Escambia High School athletic program. He earned his doctorate from Texas Chiropractic College in 1983 after earning his undergraduate degree in biology on a four-year football scholarship at Nichols State University.
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Roberts to the Game and Fresh Water Fish
Commission (GFC) in 1999, and the appointment automatically included an appointment to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) when it replaced the GFC in July 1999.
Roberts and his wife, Carol, have three children. He succeeded John C. Rood for the one-year term as chairman.
"When I was a kid, my father put me into the woods and on the ocean as soon as I could walk, and I developed a passion for hunting and fishing," Roberts said.
"For someone like me, serving as chairman of the FWC is the greatest
honor that could ever happen."
He said that since the former GFC and parts of the Department of
Environmental Protection merged to form the FWC, the agency has adapted to manychanges.
"I hope to make all FWC employees feel good about the direction the new agency is taking in rising to meet its challenges," Roberts said.
Barreto, of Miami, replaced Roberts as vice chairman. He is a partner
in the public affairs firm of Barreto, Cunningham, May, Dudley and Maloy, with offices in Miami and Tallahassee. He also is owner and president the75-year-old Bode Export Corp. and of Metro Parking, Inc.
Barreto attended Miami Dade Community College and, in March 1988, earned his bachelor's degree in professional studies from Barry University in Miami.
Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Barreto to the FWC August 2001.
Barreto and his wife, Shelia, have two children.
"This Commission is addressing issues that will determine the future of
Florida's living resources for all generations to come," Barreto said.
"I'm honored to be part of that responsibility, and I plan to work closely