Battle Over Critical Manatee Habitat Re-ignites After Yacht Club Approval |

Just as populations of manatees -- Florida's state mammal -- are drawing back from the brink of extinction, federal regulators have approved a yacht club on a river that advocates say attracts roughly a quarter of all Southwest Florida manatees in the winter.

Boat collisions are one of the leading causes of death for manatees. And the prospect that 128 yachts could soon be harbored in a prime manatee area has alarmed environmental groups.

Four national conservation groups, including Save the Manatee Club and Defenders of Wildlife, recently petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to update a 30-year-old list of where manatees congregate, feed and breed. The petition seeks to stop development that puts more boats in places where manatees live.

"It's just long overdue," said Patrick Rose, executive director of Save the Manatee Club.

The petition has reignited a long-running battle between conservationists and boaters, frustrated by slow speed limits in manatee-protected waterways.

The river, a small tributary of the Caloosahatchee near Fort Myers, hosts a power plant that warms the water and attracts hundreds of manatees on chilly winter days.

Cold stress and toxic algae blooms are the top natural manatee killers. Boat collisions are their leading human-inflicted cause of death. Lee County frequently leads the state in the number of manatees killed by boats.

"The speed zones that are there are not there for the manatees in and of themselves. They are there because the boats are there," Rose said. "If it's really, truly critical habitat, maybe we shouldn't put more boats in those areas."

The federal government recognized the manatee as an endangered species in 1967. Since then, it has been illegal to harm manatees or destroy their designated habitat. The rules have helped manatees increase their numbers in most parts of Florida. The exception is Southwest Florida, where red tide algae pose a frequent threat.

The state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission conducts an aerial manatee count each year, but there are no reliable measures of the actual manatee population. At last count in 2007, 2,817 manatees were tallied.

Also, natural warm springs once helped manatees stay warm in the winter, but drinking water and irrigation demands have eliminated a large number of springs throughout the state. Power plants that constantly discharge warm water have replaced springs as sources for warm water.

The convergence of manatees basking in the Orange River's warmth and 128 yachts runs counter to the notion of protecting an endangered species, Rose said.

"It's crazy to think the most critical manatee refuge on the west coast would not be in critical habitat," Rose said.