Yes Sylvie, glad it worked out for you. You have no idea how lucky you were that cold front came through unexpectedly........, before that cold front there were times no manatee were sighted at all. Plus I heard you all or someone else saw dolphin (cetacean dolphin not fish-dolphin) feeding for an hour at the main spring.... Cool!!!
You know I just received my new Fathoms mag and browsed through the article by Diane Richards. I'll read it in depth tomorrow, but one thing I'd like to note......., no matter how busy the busy times get and how crowd control can become a problem during busy holiday times and weekends -- most of the time manatee at three sister's spring do not have any humans around.
I can make that statement because I know and because I just now came back from three sister's and I was alone with a number of manatee for a long time and also by law no one is allowed in the springs after dark or before sunrise - so they do have a lot of time to themselves and at other locations also. Later today when I was there some of the disgruntled group that Diane mentioned in the Fathoms article showed up - they have been videoing manatee for hours and hours more than anyone else now, almost every day and I just wonder how they justify so much time closely videoing the manatee and they don't consider their own human impact to be impacting the manatee at all?? Interesting, they aren't just videoing crowds and single tourists trying to get objectionable footage; when it occurs that the manatee are alone that group of non-Fish and Wildlife employees who don't have any special permission to be there that sets them apart from regular people; well they spend hours privately videoing the manatee after intimidating and scaring away "tourists" by pointing their video cameras at them. It is quite an interesting scenario and it makes me really wonder at that group's actual motivation? And this is coming from me, one who has really seen first hand what is going on.
I'll read Diane Richard's article tomorrow but what I didn't see at first is that yes, there is a problem at certain times with crowds at Crystal and Homosassa Rivers. But in most all of Jason Bradley's photographs you don't any people and in my photographs you don't usually see any people - there are big manatee sanctuaries that go up on Nov 15th each year and no one enters those. I think it just needs to be made clear that yes lots of people are coming to see manatee at Crystal River, but no it is not like that every day - in fact crowds are the exception. Plenty of times during the seasons I'm the only one swimming around with no people in sight for long periods. And for long periods there is no one at all.
Anyway I think I'll write a note to Ethan Gordan that I love the article - very well done having it in the mag - but I think it should be pointed out that in actual time increments manatee are alone at Crystal River most of the time. This doesn't discount the really, really important need for a workable and enforceable solution to the crowds on weekends and peak-times problem - manatee need their peace. But trust this from someone who knows and is not a vested interest of any "side" or "group" - the manatee at Crystal River do have a lot of time to themselves........., now if we can just get together and get to handling the real danger to the manatee which is speeding boats and boat props! And almost every manatee shows scars from this real, painful and deadly problem that has been going on for years and years and years.
Best, Carol
BTW - Again this is my fav quote on the subject - from Bob Bonde and Roger Reep's book, 'The Florida Manatee Biology and Conservation':
"This book is dedicated to the proposition that it only takes a few people to change the world, and you are one of them. For those who rise to the challenge, may you seek the middle ground of harmony in the midst of harsh realities."
- manatee and blue sky!
.
