Presentation

Save the manatees for you & me

PRESENTATION PAGE

MUST DOs for PRESENTATION page:

Your engaging Hook (what you used for your Declare, Engage and Ignite presentation)
An introduction that explains your project and motivation
Lines of Inquiry & Summary /answers to your research questions (remember to EXPLAIN any important definitions)
MUST include Citation: For example: Source: <insert website/information source>. See below for examples

OPTIONAL ITEMS: You can go above and beyond the minimum expectations listed above. These options can be added AFTER all the above points are completed:

Add reference materials
- Vocabulary
- Diagrams

<Insert Engaging Hook - what you used for Declare, Engage & Ignite presentation>

Your Hook could be ONE of the following:

STARTLING FACT OR STATISTIC-According to the UN Environment Program (UNEP, 2019), globally “one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute and Five trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year.”
CONTROVERSIAL QUOTATION: e.g “It’s only one straw,” said 8 billion people. – Unknown
THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTION about viewers actions: Example: Have you ever wondered where all our plastic trash ends up? OR If you knew that by using recycled paper and saying no to straws, that you would save …. All of the sea lions, would you do it?
SURVEY QUESTION: How many hours each week do you spend on an electronic device?
POWERFUL PHOTO

<Insert introduction that explains project and motivation>

Form: What are Florida Manatees and are why are they so special?

The average West Indian manatee is about 2.7–3.5 m (8.9–11.5 ft) long and weighs 200–600 kg (440–1,320 lb), with females generally larger than males. How about that! The largest individual on record weighed 1,655 kg (3,649 lb) and measured 4.6 m (15 ft) long! Manatees are estimated to live 50 years or more in the wild,^[12] and one captive Florida manatee, Snooty, lived for 69 years!!!

Source: <insert website/information source>

Can any awesome ICS student IDENTIFY what is wrong with this text above? Where does it come from? How did you work this out? Is this fulfilling our Academic Honesty Policy? Email Ms. Kim with your answer!

ADD IMAGE ADDRESS LINK HERE as a caption

Florida Manatees

Florida manatees are a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. There are often described as sea cows as they move in a slow and peaceful way similar to cows on land. They are mammals, which means that they feed their young with milk. Florida manatees can be found as north as Massachusetts and as west as Texas, but during the winter, they like to be in Florida as they need warm water habitats.

Source: https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/florida-manatee/

Where do Florida Manatees live?

Manatees live in warm water habitats such as springs, rivers, freshwater lakes, canals and coastal areas and move between fresh and slightly salty water. They are herbivores, which means that they eat plants and do not eat meat. Their main food is seagrass and aquatic vegetation such as algae, turtle grass, mangrove leaves and manatee grass.

Temperature is really important to them. They do not like cold water (below 68º F or 20ºC), and during winter they migrate to warmer water to survive.

Source: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/manatee/habitat/

ADD IMAGE ADDRESS LINK HERE as a caption

So how do these special creatures operate? What are they like?

Because manatees evolved in habitats without natural predators, they lack predator avoidance behavior. The large size and low metabolic rates of manatees lets them have deep dives, but it's also why they are slow! Manatees are frequently solitary creatures, but they do congregate at warm-water habitats during the winter and during the formation of breeding herds.Manatees can communicate information to each other through their vocalization patterns and they may be able to recognize another manatee's individual voice.When communicating in noisy environments, manatees that are in groups experience the same as humans do; where they will involuntary increase their vocal effort when communicating in loud environments.Manatees also eat other manatees' feces; it is assumed that they do this to gather information about reproductive status or dominance. Imagine that!!

Source: <insert website/information source>

Mangroves are areas where manatees feel protected and can eat their seaweed and water plants.

Source: World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 2021

Photo below: Stuart, Kim. “West Lake Park” 2021. JPEG file

Ms. Kim's Away From the Screen Investigation!

After learning that manatees love mangroves, my family and I headed to West Lake Park in Hollywood, Florida, a mangrove estuary. You can learn so much from observations and you know how much I love to get my hands dirty! Just from this one visit, I could see how much humans have impacted the manatee's natural environment. During this long Memorial Day weekend, we could hear the sounds of helicopters, cars and people having parties. Imagine what the manatees could hear!

Connection: What is the connection between endangered animals, humans and the environment?

BUT here's the sad news about these special creatures. They are endangered. We are at risk of losing them to extinction. So how did this happen and what can we do?

What are endangered and threatened animals?

Source: <insert website/information source>

How do humans impact manatees and their environment (habitat?)

Source: <insert website/information source>

Responsibility: What can we do to preserve endangered animals?

A seagrass famine is seriously hurting the Florida manatee population, resulting in an alarming number of manatee deaths. As of May 14, 739 manatee deaths have been recorded in 2021 already, according to a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). If this rate of manatee deaths continues, Florida could surpass the record of 830 manatee deaths recorded in 2013, per TC Palm. A big reason for this rapid decline in the manatee population is the loss of the animal's seagrass habitat, which leaves the marine mammals without a substantial food supply. Manatees are currently considered a threatened species, a step below the endangered status they held a few years, Phys.org noted. On the FWC's website, the organization noted that Florida's waters are home to an estimated 7,520 manatees.

Source: <insert website/information source>

WHAT CAN I DO?

GOOD QUESTION! Here are 5 things we can do:

CONTACT DECISION MAKERS - Message your local politician (governor, congressperson, mayor, etc) and tell them how important manatees are to you and ask them to support protection for manatees and their habitat and to keep other environmental laws strong.
SPREAD THE WORD! If you have a web site, Facebook page, or blog, link to our web site at http://www.savethemanatee.org or use our graphic banner below. Please use our web site link with the banner.
HELP RESEARCHERS Become Part of the Manatee Sighting Network. If you live along a river, estuary, canal or coastal area in Florida, you can help provide valuable information to researchers who are tracking manatees. When you spot a manatee, just fill out our simple online form (you can upload photos or videos, too) or you can download a form to email, fax, or mail it to Save the Manatee Club.
DONATE- Donate money to donate@savethemanatee.org to fund research and conversation efforts
VOLUNTEER- Become a Club Volunteer, no matter where you live. SMC has volunteers both in AND outside of Florida. We even have members living outside the U.S.! Meet new people, experience new challenges, and help save manatees

Source: <insert website/information source>

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