Florida — Despite their size, they’re hard to spot, so boaters are being advised to wear polarized sunglasses, and follow posted speed zones.

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In 1979, the late former Florida Governor & co-founder of Save the Manatee Club, Bob Graham first declared November as Manatee Awareness Month. However, this designation wasn’t officially recognized by the state of Florida until 2005.

As governor, of Florida, Graham played a key role in launching the state’s manatee protection movement. Through legislation addressing growing threats such as habitat loss, watercraft collisions, and pollution.

Manatees were placed on the endangered species list in 1967. Later in 1981, he partnered with the late musician Jimmy Buffett, a fellow manatee advocate, to co-found the organization, Save the Manatee Club.

Manatees were upgraded to the threatened status in 2017 due to conservation efforts like Manatee Awareness Month.

Boat strikes are also a major threat, and anyone who sees an injured manatee should call the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at: 888-404-3922.

Learn more about what actions you can take this Manatee Awareness Month to help manatees at savethemanatee.org/MAM.

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