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State's manatee proposal still afloat
By BARBARA BEHRENDT, Times Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER -- As the legal wrangling continues over who should establish sanctuaries in key manatee habitats including the Homosassa Blue Waters, state officials are continuing with their process by offering the public another chance to comment on Wednesday. Those interested in voicing an opinion or asking questions about the state's proposed manatee no-entry protection zones for the Blue Waters can speak informally with state officials beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Lecanto Government Building, Room 166. At 6 p.m., officials will begin taking formal public comment on the proposal, which has already been through its first examination by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in May. A final hearing before the commission and possible approval is expected Sept. 12. The Blue Waters, the area of the Homosassa River just outside the boundaries of the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, has become an area of increasing concern for manatee harassment in recent years. Growing numbers of manatees have found the spot an ideal resting area on cold winter mornings. But as the numbers of manatees have grown, so have the numbers of boaters and swimmers who want to interact with the endangered creatures. The need for manatee protection in the area came to a head several months ago when state and federal agencies charged with protecting manatees reached settlements of their separate lawsuits with a coalition of environmental organizations including Save the Manatee Club. Both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified the Homosassa Blue Waters as an area in need of manatee sanctuaries. But the federal agency stepped back from the process in hopes the state would take the lead and develop working rules to protect Blue Waters and other areas of the state where manatees are at risk. Last week, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had violated its settlement in the lawsuit by allowing the state to work to develop sanctuaries while not continuing with its own federal process. That again raises the possibility that the federal agency will be required to establish sanctuaries of its own in Blue Waters and the other areas that were identified as needing protections. The agency has been ordered to reply to the judge's ruling by July 23. Before federal officials stepped back from their approval process earlier this year, they had proposed a manatee sanctuary configuration slightly different from the one currently on the drawing board and up for discussion with state officials on Wednesday. Chuck Underwood, public affairs officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said the proposal that was tabled in January is the starting point for whatever further discussions the agency may have on establishing a federal sanctuary at the Homosassa Blue Waters. Meanwhile, Kipp Frohlich, biological administrator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Bureau of Protected Species, said the state will continue with its process to establish the protected manatee zones. He added that written public comment on the zones would be accepted up through the Sept. 12 state hearing. -- Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 564-3621.
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