Save the Manatee Club, Inc.

The ultimate objective of Save the Manatee Club is the recovery and protection of manatees and their aquatic ecosystems throughout the world. Our objective is centered on the health and well-being of the manatee species, however, the realization of this objective impacts all species, including humans, as the end result will be an environmentally sound habitat.
Our goals are:
1. To secure and protect ample healthy habitat to support a stable or growing manatee population
2. To reduce manatee harassment, injuries and deaths from human activity
3. To ensure that sufficient regulations are adopted and enforced to accomplish these goals.

As we work toward our ultimate objective, over the next 5 years, Save the Manatee Club hopes to:
1. Establish and secure multiple manatee sanctuaries where the species is able to live during the cold winter months without fear of human harassment
2. Continue advocating, educating, collaborating, and assisting in habitat rehabilitation projects, such as the work being conducted in the imperiled Indian River Lagoon where a massive algal bloom, red tide, and a mysterious illness have contributed to manatee deaths
3. Collaborate with partners, local and federal officials, and public organizations establish regulations for protecting manatees and their habitat long term.

In order to accomplish the long term objectives of sustainable population recovery and establishment of viable protections for manatees and their aquatic ecosystems, Save the Manatee Club focuses on education, strategic collaborations for advocacy and conservation, and research, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts for manatees and their habitats throughout the world. By utilizing this multifaceted approach, the Club is able to educate and collaborate with the youth, public, and policymakers on the issues facing manatees using the best scientific approaches and data available.
The strategic implementation of these approaches includes:
1. Maintaining an informative and comprehensive website for people to visit with questions about manatees, their habitats and behaviors, the issues they face, and how they can obtain more information or help the manatees in peril
2. Reaching out via social networking to actively engage the public in our efforts
3. Providing free educational materials to the public, with specialized materials designed specifically for educators
4. Hosting and sponsoring educational seminars and events
5. Participating in regulatory procedures affecting manatees and their habitats

As an organization with a 4 decade strong history, Save the Manatee Club has a developed a vast amount of resources and support to help us ensure our continued long-term success. The foundation of our strength lies in our dedicated group of board members, directors, and staff associates who are passionate about manatees and their environment. Our leadership team includes people who have been dedicated to manatees and Florida's aquatic ecosystem for over 50 years. These leaders have received global recognition and many accolades for their work in their respective fields, and with the Club. These individuals have developed strong relationships with outside influencers, including celebrities, government agencies, like-minded organizations, groups, government agencies, community organizers, the educational community, and other influential people among the public, in an effort to find effective solutions to the challenges that plague the manatee and our environment. Save the Manatee Club leaders are also delegates, and hold leadership positions with partner organizations, and associated business partners. Our leaders continue to work persistently to strengthen the Club's resources for posterity.
As with many long-standing organizations, one of the biggest challenges we face is in securing the future leaders of the organization. Our younger generation of leaders and associates is comprised of passionate individuals striving to ensure that the Club's mission carries forth as it reaches a pinnacle in its history. Their specializations are varied, with their overarching strength being in their vitality, and ability to learn and work voraciously towards the Club's goals. They bring knowledge of current trends and technologies, and strive to develop new strategies to engage the public in the Club's mission. The organization's core strength lies in our public supporters. We are blessed to have the support of almost 2000 volunteers worldwide who attend educational events, and host presentations. Save the Manatee Club members include people of all ages and backgrounds, who host fundraisers and educational events to their schools and community. The organization maintains a social media following of over 170,000 followers with whom we maintain an engaging relationship.

One of the benefits of being a long-standing organization is historical experience. Before Save the Manatee Club was founded, relatively little was known about manatees, and very few protection measures had been adopted to protect manatees from human-related injuries and deaths. Today, due in large part to our education, conservation, and advocacy work, manatees are known worldwide, and over 300,000 acres of Florida's waterways have manatee protection measures in place. Save the Manatee Club has worked to safeguard aquatic habitat, including advocating for minimum flows and levels for Florida's surface and ground waters, numeric nutrient standards for the state's impaired water bodies, and the protection of habitat features, such as seagrasses. Every standard our organization helps to implement provides a foundation for long-term success. Long-term goals that the organization has not yet accomplished include the designation of Three Sisters Springs as true manatee sanctuary during the lethal cold weather months, and the development of a comprehensive plan to address the issue of the impeding loss of warm water habitat. Currently, manatees who rely on Three Sisters Spring in Crystal River are subject to sometimes lethal harassment by often uneducated recreational visitors, and poorly conducted tourism companies. As well, upwards of 60% of the manatee population relies on warm water habitat formed by the release of effluent by power plants. As more environmentally sustainable energy sources replace these power plants, the warm water habitats they created are being lost, with manatees caught unawares. The development of a long-term sustainable plan to address these issues are underway, and requires the collaborative efforts of many.