I first became acquainted with Manatees and their plight a few years ago,
when our Daughter, Nicole, moved to Florida and was made aware of them.
From her, I learned of their being dangerously close to extinction.
That was sad to me, but still not very close to home, so to speak. But then,
I met Manatees face to face at Sea World in Orlando...and I fell in love with them.
They are so graceful and gentle, so slow-moving, so peaceful to watch.

There are so many informative sites about Manatees that I am not
going to attempt to place the information here. Rather, I will list
some links that you can follow to learn about these wonderful creatures
and the danger to them of becoming extinct.

Would you like to take a vacation devoted to swimming with
Manatees and getting to know them personally?
Click on Michael's name above and peruse his pages
to read about the time he has spent with them.

I would like to introduce you to our new adoptee, Nick.
We just received the "adoption papers" and
are happy to be his adoptive "parents".
We chose Nick for two reasons:
1. Because our daughter Nicole is called "Nic"
2. Because Nick "marches" to the beat of a different drummer.

Nick, or Crazy Nick as he is lovingly called by researchers
in Blue Spring State Park in Florida, was first identified in 1977.
He has been returning to Blue Spring since then.

His movements have been followed on and off through the years
by radio or satellite telemetry. First, manatees must be caught,
which is not always an easy thing to accomplish. They are then
weighed, blood samples are taken and a belt is attached around
the base of the tail and connected to a transmitter.
When they are released, radio signals are received by satellites
and analyzed as to their travels and habits.

As a matter of fact, Nick earned the name "Crazy Nick"
because of his rather unusual behavior. One of the most unusual
things he does is go North for part of the winter.

If you would like to adopt a manatee, click HERE.

LINKS TO MANATEES
"Save the Manatee Club"