Latest news with #manatees
CBS News
4 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Court refuses to halt judge's order requiring Florida agency to protect manatees in Indian River Lagoon
A divided federal appeals court Tuesday refused to halt a district judge's order that requires the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to take steps to protect manatees in the northern Indian River Lagoon, including temporarily preventing new septic tanks in the area. A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, rejected the department's request for a stay of an order issued last month by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza. The stay, if granted, would have put Mendoza's order on hold while an underlying appeal plays out. Mendoza in April ruled the department violated the federal Endangered Species Act in the northern Indian River Lagoon, which is primarily in Brevard County. Getty Images Mendoza in April ruled the department violated the federal Endangered Species Act in the northern Indian River Lagoon, which is primarily in Brevard County. He followed with the May order, an injunction that included a moratorium on constructing and installing septic systems in a northern Indian River Lagoon watershed and requiring establishment of biomedical-assessment and supplemental-feeding programs for manatees in the area. The environmental group Bear Warriors United in 2022 filed the lawsuit against the department, arguing, in part, that wastewater discharges into the lagoon led to the demise of seagrass, a key food source for manatees, and resulted in deaths and other harm to the animals. The appeals-court panel decision Tuesday cited what are known as manatee "takings" because of water-quality problems. "The district court found that FDEP's (the department's) current wastewater regulations prolong manatee takings: it found a clear, definitive causal link between the FDEP's current wastewater regulations, the water pollution that is killing manatees' primary food source and is creating harmful algae blooms, and the length of time over which manatees will continue to be harmed. … We see no likely clear error in that finding," said the decision, shared by Judges Robin Rosenbaum and Jill Pryor. But Judge Britt Grant dissented, writing that Mendoza's injunction "is infirm in several respects and raises many serious questions about the scope of federal judicial power." "The district court below ordered the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to stop issuing sewage and disposal system permits near Florida's North Indian River Lagoon, and to establish from whole cloth (and in a matter of days) a program for assessing, feeding, and monitoring manatees and their habitat — a task that agency has neither the expertise nor the authority to complete," Grant wrote. A key part of Mendoza's injunction calls for the state to seek what is known as an "incidental take" permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That process would include the state developing a conservation plan, which could provide "permanent protection and management of habitat for the species," according to information about such permits on the federal agency's website. While the incidental-take permit request is pending, Mendoza ordered the department to not issue permits for constructing and installing septic systems in the area and required the other steps about a biomedical assessment and supplemental feeding. The septic-tank moratorium is slated to start July 17, while Mendoza ordered the assessment and feeding requirements to take effect Tuesday. FILE - A group of manatees are pictured in a canal where discharge from a nearby Florida Power & Light plant warms the water in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Dec. 28, 2010. Manatee deaths dropped in 2022 from a record high the year before, but Florida wildlife officials said Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, that chronic starvation caused by water pollution remains a major concern. Lynne Sladky / AP Bear Warriors United filed the lawsuit after Florida had a record 1,100 manatee deaths in 2021, with the largest number, 358, in Brevard County. Many deaths were linked to starvation. The state had 800 manatee deaths in 2022, before the number dropped to 555 in 2023 and 565 in 2024, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data. As of Friday, 414 manatees deaths had been reported this year, including 85 in Brevard County, the most in any county. Manatees are classified by the federal government as a threatened species. In seeking the stay of Mendoza's injunction, the department raised a series of issues, including targeting the septic-tank moratorium. Septic tanks discharge nitrogen that can cause harmful algae blooms in waterways. "The indefinite moratorium on the construction of new septic systems further threatens to impede commercial and residential development in the state," the department's motion for a stay said. "Florida law specifically authorizes construction using 'nutrient-reducing onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems' or similar nitrogen-reducing 'wastewater treatment systems.' And the third-party property owners and developers affected by the court's decree have no ready means to challenge this moratorium, as they are not parties to this action (the lawsuit)." But Mendoza wrote in his April ruling that under the department's regulations, it would take at least a decade for conditions in the northern Indian River Lagoon, which also goes into Volusia County, to start to recover. "This is due to the previously and currently permitted discharge of legacy pollutants via wastewater into the north IRL (Indian River Lagoon)," Mendoza wrote. "These legacy pollutants caused the death of seagrasses — the manatee's natural forage — and the proliferation of harmful macroalgae. Legacy pollutants, as their name suggests, persist in the environment and cause harmful effects long after they have entered the system."
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Bishop Museum welcomes three new manatees for rehabilitation
Related video: Manatees rescued after spending months stranded in Florida canal BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature welcomed three new manatees on Tuesday. The arrival of the three young female manatees, named Mandalore, Crane and Kyber, marks the next phase in their recovery and rehabilitation process. Mandalore, an orphaned calf, was rescued from Orange City in February weighing 180 pounds. She is now 320 pounds. Kyber, an orphaned calf rescued from Crystal River, suffered from prolonged exposure to cold water. She originally weighed in at 200 pounds and is now up to 310 pounds. Crane, rescued from Crane's Bayou, is recovering from cold stress syndrome. At the time of her rescue, she weighed 355 pounds and is now up to 450 pounds. 'It is important that the manatees feel comfortable in their new environment,' said Virginia Edmonds, director of animal care at The Bishop. 'We give them every consideration that you would to a human who is adjusting to a major change in their life. The ability to thrive and meet growth milestones equates to a timely return to the wild.' The three young manatees are currently acclimating to their temporary environment at the Rehabilitation Habitat. Those who wish to observe them can visit The Bishop and learn about the challenges they face on their road to recovery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists sound alarm after witnessing disturbing changes in wild animal behavior: 'That does create problems'
Wild animals are increasingly adjusting to urban environments through a process known as synurbization. That's an undoubtedly bad sign — and serves as a warning for how much nature has been damaged by urbanization. A new analysis by nonprofit news site Particle highlights how synurbization is reshaping wildlife behavior across the globe. As the report outlines, many wild species — including squirrels, raccoons, foxes, badgers, and even coyotes — are now more prevalent in cities than in their traditional habitats. These urban-adapted animals, dubbed synanthropes, tend to share several traits: They live in higher population densities, often show increased aggression toward their own species, and have highly adaptable diets that frequently include human food waste. Birds are among the most widespread synanthropes, with species like pigeons, ibises, cockatoos, and more thriving in urban settings. The analysis highlights some wild animals — like Barcelona's wild boars, Mumbai's leopards, and Florida's manatees — as adapting to urban environments in notable behavior-changing ways. Take manatees — the gentle giants love the warm waters around power plants so much that they've stopped following their old migration routes and now depend on these fossil-fuel stations to stay warm. With more than half of the world's population now living in urban areas, cities have become centers of bustling activity — and wildlife conflict. While many humans consider synanthropes pests, their ability to adapt to urban environments is a clear sign of how wildlife is being forced to evolve — or relocate — in response to expanding human development. In case there was any doubt, synurbization is not a good thing. While animals are surviving in urbanized environments, they are not thriving. As natural landscapes are degraded by human development, habitats become fragmented or destroyed entirely, forcing wildlife to either adapt, migrate, or suffer population decline. This loss of habitat reduces biodiversity and disrupts ecological balance. Increased human activity also brings pollution, noise, and light pollution, all of which interfere with natural behaviors like feeding, mating, and migration. Although wildlife bears the brunt of synurbization, humans are also affected. As the report highlights, some synanthropes can be dangerous to humans, like disease-carrying rats, aggressive stray dogs, and unruly wild boars. Encroaching on territories that displace these animals or force them to coexist with humans can lead to injury, disease, and death. In India, for example, rabies is endemic. According to the World Health Organization, the country accounts for approximately 36% of global rabies deaths, with an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 human deaths each year. Most cases result from stray dog bites. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While culling and relocation are two common tactics for ridding urban areas of synanthropes, the analysis offers a smarter, more sustainable alternative — redesigning urban infrastructure to better support wildlife. Successful examples of supporting wildlife in urban areas include California's wildlife bridge over a busy highway and Finland's native wildflower habitat to support pollinators and local species. "We can get creative with the ways we live together," Dr. Gillian Paxton, an environmental anthropologist at James Cook University, told Particle. "There is a role for redesigning cities and rethinking urban environments. We need to have cities that are accommodating to wildlife — but that does create problems." As evidence of this complex dynamic, Particle highlights how some industrial areas are becoming more hospitable to wildlife as pollution declines. As a result, dolphins have been increasingly spotted near power stations in Japan, drawn to cleaner waters. While this suggests environmental improvement can benefit marine synanthropes, human activity still poses risks. For instance, dolphins near Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant were exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity following the 2011 nuclear disaster. This underscores the double-edged nature of human intervention: better environmental management can aid wildlife recovery, but serious threats remain. "When we say we're living with something, that sounds very passive — like we just kind of coexist," Dr. Paxton told Particle. "Living together is more active than that. It involves both parties." Paxton added: "Instead of tolerating the wildlife, we need to cooperate." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay Times sets a $175,000 target for annual weeklong fundraiser
Four years ago, Tampa Bay Times reporter Zachary T. Sampson began digging to understand why manatees were dying in droves in Florida waters. The reporting was painstakingly laborious. Sampson chipped away bit by bit while he tackled other stories. In mid-2022, he was joined by seasoned investigator Bethany Barnes and later Shreya Vuttaluru, a data specialist fresh out of college. Wading through voluminous documents and massive databases, they embarked on a mammoth project that detailed with exceptional precision and clarity how contaminated waterways imperiled the state's gentle giants. Sampson, Vuttaluru and Barnes found that nearly 1-in-4 waterways across the state had become dangerously polluted. That led to the decimation of seagrass — 89,000 acres of it — the main source of food for manatees. Without food, the epicenter of the crisis in the Indian River Lagoon became a graveyard. A tragic, avoidable catastrophe. No journalism outfit has ever attempted to examine pollution across Florida to this extent. It took more than a year of full-time focus from our reporters working under their editor, Rebecca Woolington, to bring this powerful and important story to readers. Few, if any, news outlets in Florida will devote that kind of time and energy to a single project. We do it with regularity because no one else will. And because it's essential. It's our mission. Our commitment. Our calling. And we can't do it alone. As the business model for news evolves, philanthropy plays a bigger and bigger role to help fund independent, local journalism. We have launched our annual weeklong 'It's Your Times' fundraising campaign. We began raising money in 2019 through grants and donations. Since then, we've received in excess of $3 million. It's an impressive number. But it represents a fraction of our annual news budget. The amount we spend on journalism is considerably less than it was just a few short years ago when we had more print subscribers, more print advertising and more staff. But it is still enough to produce the kind of smart, dogged journalism that the Times is known for. Because we make it a priority. Consider some of the outcomes. In 2021, we showed how a Tampa company had systematically poisoned its own workforce and the surrounding community. It took Woolington, Corey Johnson and Eli Murray more than two years to complete the project. Last year, Rebecca Liebson and Teghan Simonton detailed how corporate real estate conglomerates had amassed tens of thousands of rental homes across the state — changing the complexion of the housing market. The reporting spanned nearly a full year. Two years before Hurricane Helene, Sampson teamed with Langston Taylor on a series that foreshadowed how vulnerable our region has become to storm surge. The reporting lasted well over a year. Not every investigation takes that long. Max Chesnes and Emily L. Mahoney broke the story about how the state wanted to turn precious parklands into pickleball courts, golf courses and hotels. They followed up Chesnes' initial scoop with tenacious watchdog reporting — much of it published within a month. Our joint Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau has been dialing up near daily coverage on the Hope Florida saga, detailing how $10 million of state funds fueled a Casey DeSantis pet project, and, in turn, helped fund political campaigns of the governor's priority initiatives. But if an important story takes time, we are committed to do what it takes. That costs money. 'It's Your Times' started modestly four years ago. We've eclipsed fundraising targets each of the last three years. We are heartened by the outpouring of support and our community's generosity. Last year, about 900 contributors made a pledge, ranging from $5 to $25,000. This year's target: $175,000. Hitting our goal would pay the salaries of three journalists in our 80-person newsroom. It's ambitious. But so are our journalistic aspirations. We know the well of potential stories runs deep. With your help, we are determined to bring these stories to light.
