When we stopped at the Manatee Viewing Center near the Big Bend Power Station in December, 2002, I had no idea how endangered our experience was. I’d lived in Florida for years but was now returning on vacation with my family after being away for six years. As we drove north from Sanibel Island to Tampa, we stopped to see manatees swimming in a natural setting. They winter in the water near the power plant when the temperature of Tampa Bay drops below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
We saw dozens of manatees gracefully swimming and bobbing in the water as we walked along the platform. A speaker attached to an underwater microphone let us listen to them as we watched these creatures warm themselves in the water. The best part of all? It was free; it was natural; and it was magnificent.
But I’m not sure it can be replicated today.
Oh, the manatees are still there. They congregate in a few warm spots around Florida when their natural habitat gets too chilly. They must to survive. But now dozens of tourist attractions have sprung up. Now it’s not just a matter of walking along a wooden pier and gazing down into the water. If you look down into the water today, you’re likely to see kayaks, scuba tours, and tourists who have paid to swim with the manatees.
Luckily, environmental groups are fighting to end this. Manatee supporters want Florida to start enforcing rules for observing manatees, which are protected both as an endangered species and a marine mammal. There's a big controversy brewing about manatee tours around Crystal River, FL, that harass and corner manatees and even let patrons sit on them.
I can understand the attraction. Manatees are beautiful creatures and I would have enjoyed having the chance to swim alongside them, too. But I was thrilled just to watch them; to be a voyeur as they swam freely in the warm water. I just didn’t realize how lucky I was to have had the chance to see them that way. Opportunities to view nature naturally are becoming more and more extinct.
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