Manatee Tragedy

Situation On August 29th, 2005 Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage and flooding in Mississippi, Louisiana, New Orleans and areas in between. It destructed the lives and homes of thousands of people, with a total of 1,883 fatalities (Hurricane Katrina Statistics Fast Facts, 2015). Hurricane Katrina left many homeless and hospitals unprepared for the challenges posed to the healthcare system as a whole. Some of these challenges included gaining access to healthcare facilities, providing expedited care to those most in need, and preventing spread of disease that commonly occurs during natural disasters. Many facilities did not evacuate in time and many were left stranded in flooded waters as patients conditions worsened and access to essential medications and treatments became limited.

The Florida Reef provides many benefits to our world. The coral living in it are part of the phylum Cnidaria which a group of invertebrates. Though it may provide many benefits to us, we provide many dangers to it. Our debris and overfishing can damage the Florida reef along with

This research will evaluate possible behavioral distinctions of manatees to oncoming water vessels with individual variation, such as manatees raised in captivity opposed to wild, multiple boat scars versus no noticeable boat scars, and age class variation. Geographical comparison of multiple species of manatees will determine behavioral disparity in areas with high watercraft mortality and areas where the threat is less predominant. An array of behaviors will be analyzed including communication, predator response, and feeding. This research will strongly build upon previous research, and has robust conservation implications for capture and release, as well as rehabilitation programs for this endangered marine mammal. The Environmental Science and Policy doctorate program at George Mason University will grant me the expertise needed to excel in this field of

Water pollution is a leading culprit in the environmental problems facing the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Poor water quality is blamed for declines in coral recruitment, fish kills, and seagrass die-offs, among other ills. Pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and hydrocarbons from farms, suburban yards, and highways eventually end up in sanctuary waters, as does a huge infusion of nutrients from wastewater and fertilizer. Commercial shipping operations release hazardous materials and dump trash of all descriptions. Adding to the degradation are small daily doses of oil from thousands of motor boats.

are herbivores, just like cows. Most manatees live in warm tropical and subtropical waters. Areas such as rivers, bays, canals, and estuaries are populated by these sea cows. They can adapt to Manatees use their flexible lips to collect floating vegetation. They receive their fresh water from resources such as water hoses, sewage outfalls, and culverts. Florida manatees can weigh 800-1,200 pounds and on average are 10 feet in length. However, there is another species of manatee that are particularly smaller in size. They are the Amazonian manatees, which are found in Brazil. They weigh on average of 900 pounds and are 8 feet in length. Manatees have many unique characteristics. For instance, their tails are rounded and move up and down to allow them to travel under water. Manatees have 24-32 molars in the back of their mouths. The front molars are worn away

3. Metabolism a. Manatees are heterotrophic, so they have to find other sources of food because they can't produce their own.

INTRODUCTION Rarely do the geologic processes of the earth make major news headlines, but oftentimes when they do, it is because a catastrophic event has occurred and has seized public attention. This was unfortunately the case in 2013, when Florida native Jeff Bush became the victim of a tragic geologic event that left many Americans wondering if they were truly ever standing on “solid ground” (Sinkhole Swallows Florida Man). Bush, and a large portion of his suburban home, was swallowed up by a sudden sinkhole as his brother looked on in horror, trying in vain to rescue him as he was forced deeper underground. This sinkhole developed as a result of the dissolution of limestone, which is prevalent under much of Florida’s soil, and the

This exceptionally charismatic megafauna has become synonymous with Florida along with “snowbirds”, orange juice, and Mickey Mouse but the Florida manatee may not be as permanent as its counterparts. Since being declared as endangered, the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, has been at the center of

There used to be a thriving area full of lush plants and exotic animals along with many miles of water flowing through central Florida called the Everglades. A lot of water was drained for development and farming, leaving a queer 50% of the wetlands remaining. Many of the beautiful organisms dissipated due to the water purge. The U.S Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are trying to restore the national park's water system, hopefully bringing back its diverse ecosystem.

Not much can be done to stop the bleeding in the Florida Bay as of now but if someone such as myself who is only in high school can bring awareness to this issue, it shows how powerful and important this die off is to us in South Florida. If more people bring awareness to what is going on in the Florida Bay, we can eventually garner more attention to this issue from the government and environmental organizations around the world so we can work together to at least slow down the rapid sea grass die off and to think of long term solutions towards “Making the Florida Bay Healthy Again!” While I was down doing research on the water, I was angered and disgusted to see the water with a yellow “fog”, which is just a symptom of the sea grass-die off, imagine seeing the Florida Bay like this for years, without changing back to its original, beautiful, clear state

When introduced to the question of what is killing the Manatee, one can find that the topic can branch off into many different categories of threats. Those threats are listed as follows: human pollution, power plant run offs, canal locks, flood control structures, entanglement in fishing gear, etc. (Reynolds 25). As one can see, this subject can be very broad, therefore this paper serves to concentrate its focus on the specific role that humans and the operation of powerboats play in the decline of the manatee population.

In 2015, an unusually wet winter triggered emergency draining from Lake Okeechobee to the Everglades, flushing billions of gallons of water each day to protect South Florida from flooding. The results of this water being released has hurt other parts of the state: polluting coastal fishing grounds, scaring away tourists,

 Loggerhead turtles might be seeing their last day on earth. Humans are killing the loggerhead turtles each year by commercial fishing and trawls, marine debris, and Artificial lighting on the beaches. We should make a difference to these loggerhead turtles and help them survive and be close to living a

Nearly 250 miles in diameter along with 3,000 miles traveled, more than 2.5 million were left without power, 546 deaths occurred, 128 were missing, and 439 were injured, with this, Hurricane Matthew was an extraordinarily devastating, category 5, Hurricane. The winds had sustained up to 160 miles

The state of Florida is known for its beautiful waters and diverse marine ecosystems. Millions of people visit the state each year to vacation and enjoy Florida’s many tourist attractions. One of Florida largest attractions is its fishing. People come from all over the world to experience Florida’s exciting and