 REPORT: KEEP MARINAS AWAY FROM MANATEES Palm Beach Post -- Sunday, April 15, 2001 By: Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer FORT PIERCE -- New marinas and boat ramps in St. Lucie County should be built close to the Fort Pierce Inlet and as far as possible from sea grass beds where manatees feed, according to a report by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council. That will lessen the chance that increased boat traffic will endanger manatees, the report said. This report is just one component of the manatee protection plan which must be adopted by June," said Anna Smith, the county's ecosystems manager. "The rest of the plan may or may not recommend changes in speed zones." County commissioners will hold a workshop at 6 p.m. April 23 to hear public comment on the marina siting report. Four places in the Indian River Lagoon were named as the manatees' most popular meeting places. They are: Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution's ship channel from February to April. Queens Cove along the western shore of North Hutchinson Island, also from February to April. Taylor Creek, west of the Fort Pierce Inlet, where manatees congregate because of the fresh water. Moores Creek, near the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority power plant, which provides warm water for the creatures, from December to April. Twelve manatee carcasses have been found near these four areas in recent years, but it's unknown whether they were killed there or the bodies drifted from elsewhere. Consultants examined 35 miles of the Indian River Lagoon and the North Fork of the St. Lucie River for their suitability for new marinas, boat ramps or docks. They rated the areas on distance from the inlet, amount of sea grass coverage, the speed limit in the area and number of manatee deaths since 1995. Five boat facilities near the Fort Pierce Inlet from Little Jim Bridge on North Beach Causeway to ramps on the South Beach Causeway and out the inlet have the lowest potential for collision. Two vacant tracts in that area might be suitable for future docks or ramps, the report said. The rest of the waterways have medium to high potential for collisions and conditions should be placed on new facilities, the report said. Big Mud and Little Mud creeks near the St. Lucie Nuclear Plant might be named manatee sanctuaries where boats are banned because the creatures often give birth there. Copyright (c) 2001, The Palm Beach Post |