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Guest Commentary: Support expanded manatee critical habitat

2 min read

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting comments regarding the proposed expansion of 12 manatee zones around coastal Florida, including one that would encompass Venice to Estero Bay.

Manatees, including both the Florida and Antillean subspecies, have suffered setbacks in recent years from crowded waterways, habitat degradation, and sea grass die-offs caused — in large part — by the polluting consequences of explosive growth and development.

One way to help protect Florida’s official marine mammal is to expand its critical habitat, which is designated based on “the physical or biological features essential for the conservation” of the species.

To view the existing habitat, visit https://www.fws.gov/media/critical-habitat-florida-manatee.

We hope you’ll join us in supporting the proposed critical habitat expansion by sending your comments to the USFWS comment portal by today, Jan. 24.

Suggested talking points:

* I encourage the expansion of manatee protection areas, specifically as it applies to the critical habitat from Venice to Estero Bay.

* The rapid growth and development of Southwest Florida has substantially added to the impairment of our water quality and overcrowded waterways, resulting in the need for added manatee protections.

* Expanded manatee protection areas are critical to the survival of the species, especially as we repeatedly face threats to the health of our ecosystem — including a recent state proposal to shrink the boundaries of the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve. This would have had assured impacts to manatees and all marine life within the current aquatic preserve area.

* Our environment is the cornerstone to Southwest Florida’s annual $3.5 billion tourism economy. Expanded critical habitat for manatees will help ensure the recovery of our beloved marine mammals that depend on a healthy functioning ecosystem, while also supporting our continued economic success.

To submit comments, please visit https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/FWS-R4-ES-2024-0073-0001.

Holly Schwartz is environmental policy associate for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Founded in 1967, the SCCF’s mission is to protect and care for Southwest Florida’s coastal ecosystems. For more information, visit www.sccf.org.