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Watching the Blue Waters
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer HOMOSASSA -- Janet Luchese peered beyond the buoys and spotted six gray snouts poking up from the murky depths. "On a cold morning, we can find 60 or 70 in here," she said, shielding her eyes from the midday sun as she watched the manatees. As a volunteer with the federal Manatee Watch program, Luchese ensures that the slow-moving sea cows aren't harassed by tourists and boaters who visit the headwaters of the Homosassa River known as the Blue Waters. Luchese's job got a little easier in November, when humans were officially restricted from certain areas of the Blue Waters. The boundaries were created to give manatees a place to rest and escape from people. So far, the manatees have been flocking to the newly created sanctuaries, using them as a convenient place to snooze or sun themselves on a warm day. The results among humans, however, have been mixed. As Luchese looked out over the restricted area, a canoeist bumbled beyond the orange buoys, wandering into the middle of the sanctuary. "Move on, move on!" Luchese said, gesturing with her hand. The canoeist paddled out of the sanctuary, only to drift back in again a few minutes later. "There's still some education that needs to be done," Luchese said, sighing. Most of the offenders Luchese has seen have been tourists who rent their own boats. Locals and tour groups have been more law-abiding. "The people who come down from up north don't really seem to understand the rules of the Florida waterways," she said. It took years of bureaucratic squabbling to get these small boundaries drawn. The battle began when the Save the Manatee club sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, arguing that the agencies weren't doing enough to protect the giant mammals. The creatures are an endangered species and receive special protection from the government. They do not tolerate the cold temperature of the Gulf of Mexico during winter and typically gather in the spring-fed rivers of Citrus County, which remain a temperate 72 degrees year-round. The settlements reached in the lawsuits compel both agencies to devise new manatee protections statewide, including the Blue Waters. The sanctuaries are similar to those that have long been in place in Kings Bay and some other Citrus waterways. The orange and white buoys that mark the new sanctuary were set up Nov. 15. Human activity is barred from about 2 acres of the area near the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Five acres of river remain unaffected. The ban is in place throughout the manatee season, which lasts until March 31. Because the sanctuary is recognized by the federal and state government, law enforcement officers from both agencies have been patrolling. The penalty for entering the protection zone depends on who catches a perpetrator. Being apprehended by a state officer could result in a maximum fine of $1,000 and/or up to 60 days in jail. The penalty for violating federal law is a fine of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison. Kipp Frohlich, biological administrator for the state's Bureau of Protected Species, said most people have been complying with the new boundaries. "It's pretty obvious with those buoys where you're supposed to be and where you're not supposed to be," he said. There has not been a need for a large increase in law enforcement patrol, mostly because the area is so small, Frohlich added. And at least initially, authorities have emphasized education, not punishment. The local dive shops, which sponsor manatee-watching tours all year, were the most outspoken critics of the new sanctuaries, arguing that limiting the navigable portion of the Blue Waters would hamper business. But so far, the restrictions have had little effect, said Ron Goodenow, owner of American Pro Diving Center. "Are we still about to do our tour every day? Sure," he said. But Goodenow maintained that it would have been more beneficial to educate the public about manatees and their habits rather than create restricted areas for the creatures. "Sanctuaries aren't going to do anything to teach the people about how to act around manatees," he said. The sanctuaries were never intended to prevent humans from interacting with manatees, said Marla Ivory, park specialist with the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The restricted areas simply give the creatures a place to rest and escape if they've had enough play time for one day. "It's definitely not like the manatees are staying back behind the sanctuary lines, saying, 'Don't pet me,' " Ivory said.
-- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 860-7309 or cjohnson@sptimes.com .
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