Groups seek 'critical' habitat for manatees | floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY
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PHOTO: A female manatee and her calf make their way through the canals near St. George Court and Jolly Roger Drive in Satellite Beach. Environmental groups want more habitat in Brevard County and elsewhere in Florida declared "critical" for manatee survival.
Four conservation groups, including Save the Manatee Club, formally petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare more places where manatees hang out to be "critical habitat" designations.
In Brevard, the places include manmade canals such as Berkeley Canal in Satellite Beach and the C-54 Canal in south Palm Bay, as well as natural tributaries to the Indian River Lagoon such as the St. Sebastian River, Mullet Creek, Turkey Creek and Crane Creek.
The designations would add another layer of scrutiny in permitting marine structures in those areas. While it doesn't by itself keep docks, marinas and other marine structures from being built, the designation could tip the balance, said Katie Tripp, director of science and conservation for Save the Manatee Club.
Under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies can't authorize an action that causes the "destruction or adverse modification" of habitat designated as "critical" to the survival and recovery of an endangered species.
The groups that submitted the 64-page petition say new research since the original critical habitat designations were made in 1976 proves a need for more critical habitat designations, with more precise definitions.
"What this aims to do is clarify what that original list meant," Tripp said of the petition. "Instead of just listing a water body, it explains why."
Federal law requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, within 90 days of receiving such a petition, to determine whether it "presents substantial scientific information indicating that the revision may be warranted."
If the service makes that determination, then the agency would solicit comments through a lengthy public process, then publish the new critical habitat areas in the Federal Register, before they could take effect.
Steve Webster, executive director of Florida Marine Contractors Association, a trade group of dock builders, blasted Save the Manatee Club as an organization "that has outlived its purpose."
Please Visit: http://www.savethemanatee.org
Four conservation groups, including Save the Manatee Club, formally petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare more places where manatees hang out to be "critical habitat" designations.
In Brevard, the places include manmade canals such as Berkeley Canal in Satellite Beach and the C-54 Canal in south Palm Bay, as well as natural tributaries to the Indian River Lagoon such as the St. Sebastian River, Mullet Creek, Turkey Creek and Crane Creek.
The designations would add another layer of scrutiny in permitting marine structures in those areas. While it doesn't by itself keep docks, marinas and other marine structures from being built, the designation could tip the balance, said Katie Tripp, director of science and conservation for Save the Manatee Club.
Under the Endangered Species Act, federal agencies can't authorize an action that causes the "destruction or adverse modification" of habitat designated as "critical" to the survival and recovery of an endangered species.
The groups that submitted the 64-page petition say new research since the original critical habitat designations were made in 1976 proves a need for more critical habitat designations, with more precise definitions.
"What this aims to do is clarify what that original list meant," Tripp said of the petition. "Instead of just listing a water body, it explains why."
Federal law requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, within 90 days of receiving such a petition, to determine whether it "presents substantial scientific information indicating that the revision may be warranted."
If the service makes that determination, then the agency would solicit comments through a lengthy public process, then publish the new critical habitat areas in the Federal Register, before they could take effect.
Steve Webster, executive director of Florida Marine Contractors Association, a trade group of dock builders, blasted Save the Manatee Club as an organization "that has outlived its purpose."
Please Visit: http://www.savethemanatee.org
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