The thing about our Florida Specialty Plate Spotlight Series is that each plate we feature is so good and supports such a good cause (or causes), we often wonder which we’d choose if forced to choose. Luckily, no one’s making us walk the plank over this, so we can continue highlighting some of the state’s best tags and the charities they represent without picking favorites. Really, they are all our favorites.
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Whew, okay, now that that’s out of the way, we can move on to this week’s feature…and it’s a good one. (Aren’t they all?!) And if the beneficiary of this week’s Specialty Plate doesn’t move you to immediately hop onto eTags.com and order it ASAP, we don’t know what will.
Today’s Florida Specialty Plate is Save the Manatees. And come on, look at that face. Look at that cuteness. These gentle giants, also known as sea cows, are most closely related to the elephant, and may have evolved from those magnificent land beasts.
The United States manatee population is concentrated mostly in Florida, hence the state’s drive to help protect and preserve these beautiful creatures. Florida’s manatee species are called West Indian Manatees, and occupy the shallows of slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals, and coastal spots. They especially enjoy hanging out where freshwater plants and seagrass beds grow naturally, as their diet is mainly vegetarian, apart from any tiny critters that accidentally get swallowed during feeding time.
What really grabs our hearts about these animals is their temperament.
Manatees are known to be docile mammals, rarely in a rush to go anywhere or do anything.
Because they breathe air, they will surface anywhere from every three to five minutes to gulp in some oxygen. At deep rest, however, manatees can remain submerged for up to twenty minutes before surfacing. In general, their lives are mostly spent at ease: resting, eating, and traveling when the need arrives. Reaching their top speed of 20mph is a rare thing; true to their easy nature, they prefer meandering about in the water at around three to five miles per hour.
The thing is (there is always a thing), manatees are at high risk for extinction. In fact, one branch of the species – the Steller’s Sea Cow – was hunted into obsoletion in the 1700’s, less than thirty years after its discovery. While the manatees of Florida have thankfully not met that peril yet, they do face pretty dire obstacles such as:
- Loss of seagrass
- Collisions with boats
- Red Tide (a type of toxic microalgae)
- Harassment from humans
- Climate change
When opting for a Save the Manatees Specialty Plate, proceeds from the purchase go to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which in turn, directs funds toward preservation, conservation, education, and prevention via the Save the Manatee Trust Fund. Through research, rescue, and monitoring efforts, the FWC works to recover the species from a threatened status to a thriving status.
Just a fraction of the FWC and Trust Fund efforts include the following elements:
- Research on survival, behavior, and threats
- Rescue and rehabilitation from watercraft collision, ingested fish hooks, litter, crab trap entanglement, or monofilament line
- Collaboration with researchers and communities worldwide in order to preserve the species across the globe
In addition, the Save the Manatee Club maintains a whole branch called Manatee Protection Advocacy, whose mission it is to review and advocate for manatee protection in particularly important counties in Florida. Their list of operations is thorough and lengthy, but some of their key actions include:
- Initiating legal challenges against projects that pose a potential threat to manatee life and habitat
- Advocating the enforcement of laws already in place that aim to protect wildlife and habitat, such as Endangered Species and Marine Mammal Protection Acts
- Intervening on the state’s behalf to sustain speed rules for boats – an integral part of manatee safety
- Addressing all manatee-related issues with Florida’s government
- Doggedly working to enforce boat speed zones, manatee safe havens, and the integration of conservation measures necessary to keep the species alive and thriving
The Advocacy Club is also highly involved in the push to address the issues of water quantity and quality, including springs protection and restoration.
In addition, the Club maintains essential partnerships with various different agencies, non-profits, and universities in an effort to support manatee habitat and restoration in the Indian River Lagoon, a major living space for the friendly animals.
A word on the amiability of these creatures: unlike other species, a mother manatee will not become aggressive if faced with other manatees or humans coming into close contact with her calf. Instead, she will simply place herself between her baby and any perceived threat, acting as natural armor.
It’s as if the mamas don’t know that there are only about 5,700 of their kind left in the Florida area. But then again, it is not in their nature to act any way other than gently.
So what can you do to help these sweet mammals?
Well, this IS the Specialty Plate Series, so you’ve probably got a good idea of what’s coming next. But in case this is your first foray into our Spotlight Series, we’ll break it down for you:
When you upgrade to a Florida Specialty Plate, your purchase goes directly to the charity behind the design. In this case, the Florida Wildlife Fund and the Save the Manatees Club benefit from your decision to elect for something other than a standard plate. The effort on your part is surprisingly minimal, given the impact your choice can have.
And listen, you can grab a Specialty Plate any time during your registration period, Whether you’re registering for the first time, renewing your registration, or any point between. All you have to do is head over to eTags.com, choose Florida from our drop-down menu, and choose the Specialty Plate option. Aaaaand, you also have the option to personalize your plate. So yes, you can flaunt that cutie manatee AND decide your letter/number combo. If the DMV approves your combo, we’re good to go. So let’s go….and you know, if you need assistance with any of this, we’re here to help!
