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Public helps sort out Blue Waters options
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer LECANTO -- State officials went into the meeting on manatee sanctuary proposals for the Homosassa Blue Waters expecting a fight. Previous meetings, after all, turned into shouting matches between those who favor more protection and those who think manatee advocates have gone too far. To the officials' surprise, there was little friction in the Lecanto Government Building on Tuesday afternoon. Most of the handful of residents there supported some protection, from restricting the number of boats to increasing education programs and law enforcement. Ron Goodenow of American Pro Dive said a section along the southern shoreline of the Homosassa River at the area known as Blue Waters is ideal for a seasonal sanctuary, but anything else would be unnecessary. A triangular area marked with signs asking people to voluntarily keep out would be effective, he said. "If manatees want to get away from people, they'll go into that area." The only problem, some say, is the area has proved too shallow, given the low winter tides and silt buildup. There are plans to dredge the area but several years could pass before the work begins. "The people who are causing the problem now will continue to cause problems if it remains voluntary," said Patty Jefferson of Save the Manatee Club. Her organization favors the third and most restrictive sanctuary proposal drawn up by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. On Tuesday, she asked that a corner of one of the sanctuaries be slightly enlarged. The proposed sanctuaries are similar to those in Crystal River in that part of the waterway would be roped off to humans. Roped off sections of the river would do little to deter throngs of tourists, said Don Robertson of Air Tank Divers in Homosassa. If anything, they would create a dangerous bottleneck. "You're going to start chopping up people and manatees," he said. If the problem is the number of boats, then the state should consider limits on who can drive to the Blue Waters, Robertson said. Still others blamed the problem on what they view as a lack of enforcement of laws already on the books. Boaters speed with regularity, ignoring no-wake and idle-speed only zones, they said. "What is good for us is also good for manatees," said Sandy Levin, a member of the volunteer Manatee Watch, which patrols area waters in an attempt to educate the public. On a recent weekend, in the rain, there were 100 people in the Blue Waters, she said. "With all the dive boats and rental boats trying to maneuver in that area, that's not safe," Levin said. "There were people prodding the manatees, trying to get them to wake up so they could play with them. Their overexuberance turns into harassment." The commission's three proposals stem from a lawsuit brought against the state by environmental groups. Kipp Frohlich, biological administrator for the state's Bureau of Protected Species, said a recommendation will be made to the Florida Fish and Wildlife commissioners this summer. A final decision could be made in the fall. "It's a balancing act," Frohlich said of the competing interests. "It's not easy, but it can be done."
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