Ten Thousand Islands Manatee Tracking Study Summary 2004 What Have We Learned? Submitted by Susan Butler and Jim Reid   Ten Thousand Islands Study Area We are nearing the completion of this study in the Ten Thousand Islands/Everglades National Park area and we would like to give you a brief summary of some of the important things we have learned. A Pre-Restoration Study This study was designed as a pre-restoration study....in other words we wanted to find out how manatees function on a daily basis in the Ten Thousand Islands/Everglades National Park area before the restoration project known as the Southern Golden Gate Estates/Everglades Restoration begins. A Black Hole in Manatee Research This has been a very important study because until now, very little was known about the manatees in this area.....it has been considered the "black hole" in manatee research. Our knowledge of manatee abundance, distribution, movements and habitat use was very limited. Through this study, we have gained tremendous insight into the year-round use of the area by manatees. What We've Learned We have not only learned about the location of their warm water sites for winter (POI and the US 41 canals), but also about where they search for fresh water too. Indeed, the manatees have led us up rivers and creeks and into the canals of Marco Island in their search for fresh water. We've also learned how they swim to and use the seagrass beds of the outer islands to feed, and about how they use their habitat differently depending on if it is the wet or the dry season. As an example just look at the detailed movement maps for Belvedere, one of the manatees we tracked in 2004. Belvedere Credit: Sirenia Project   Why Is This Study Important? In order to predict what may happen when the Southern Golden Gate Estates Restoration project begins, these are very important aspects of manatee "life" that we as biologists need to learn. This information and data will also play an important role in our understanding of the changes that may occur after restoration. We have certainly learned that the Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades National Park areas are very important to manatees year round and that conservation efforts are key to the manatee's success in southwest Florida. Differences Between Wet and Dry Season Throughout the season you have been plotting locations and learning how the manatees move from the outer islands to the inland rivers, creeks and canals, alternating between feeding areas and freshwater sources. You have also seen how they use the warm water sites during cold fronts. We have included 2 maps for "Actual" that show all of the higher class satellite locations over a period of time. These two maps show how movements vary depending on whether we are in the wet or dry season. Actual Dry Season Credit: Sirenia Project   This first map shows Actual's dry season use during April-June 2002. As you can see, she made several trips between the outer island feeding areas into POI for drinks. You can follow her trips in and out by looking at the lines with the arrows that connect the location dots. Actual Wet Season Credit: Sirenia Project   The second map shows the wet season - August-Sept. 2002. Again, you can see her use of the outer islands with fewer trips inland for fresh water. Also notice that she does not have to go all the way into POI for her drinks. This is because during the wet season more fresh water is flowing into the estuaries so the manatees do not have to travel as far inland. Although these maps are from 2002, we still find that Actual's patterns are very similar today! Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form