Forgot to post about the manatees we saw in Three Sisters Springs. We even saw a baby manatee! They come in from the Gulf from Dec - Feb because the springs are 72° year round. Absolutely incredible. #manatees
We are heading out in a bit to go see Florida's floating baked potatoes! They come closer to shore in Winter. I have such fond memories of the Manatees from my childhood. Sadly populations are dwindling because too many people are moving to Florida: more development, more pollution, more boats, more taking over their habitats. Gunna see them while I still can!
I urge you to re-list the West Indian manatee subpopulations, including the #Florida manatee, as endangered. One-fifth of Florida manatees died in the last two years alone. Their #population can’t sustain such heavy losses.
#Pollution in the water has created massive algal blooms which block the sun from reaching the sea floor, killing the #seagrass
#Manatees, their #habitat and their food sources all need better #protections. Please restore manatees’ full protections under the #EndangeredSpeciesAct and devote more resources to saving these gentle animals.
Some (most?) of these cams will go offline overnight when the storm arrives. It will be interesting to check ob them at daybreak. We'll travel north along with #idalia, starting with #Clearwater beach. Tropical force winds , (34 knots or 39 mph) should arrive by midnight.