The St. Petersburg Audubon Society meets the 3rd. N. west of the Tyron Square Mall. N. Dr. Bruce Ackerman, manatee researcher with the newly-created Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, will present a program on 15 years of research on manatees at the state's Florida Marine Research Institute, in St. Petersburg. Bruce is currently the Vice President of this St. Petersburg Audubon Chapter. St. Pete is the headquarters for the largest manatee research program in the world.
Manatees are one of the best-loved, yet most controversial, species in Florida.
Dr. Ackerman is currently involved in research to estimate the size of the manatee population in Florida, and this winter his aerial survey team has counted over 2,200 manatees. More than 200 were seen in Tampa Bay. Other researchers at the lab use satellites to radio-track manatees and study the individual life histories and travels of identified manatees. Some researchers rescue sick and injured manatees, and study the causes of death. Still other researchers are partnering with county governments to create manatee caution areas.