CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. - "Look but don't touch." That's what people should do when they see a Florida manatee, but the Florida Wildlife Commission (FWC) reports people have been seen standing on manatees and trying to ride the wild animals. The manatee is an endangered species protected by federal law. The FWC will take up the issue of manatee harassment at a meeting this week. The FWC defines harassment as any activity that disturbs an animal's normal behavior.

Matt Clemons, a former biologist now operating an eco-tourism business, says it has been a tradition to allow people to swim with manatees in Crystal River, and even touch them if the animal initiates the contact. Clemons says that is too much of a good thing.

"People are actively being encouraged to pet a manatee, tickle its belly and rub it under the flipper so it will roll over so you can scratch its belly. All these behaviors are unnatural to manatees. They have been learned, and that's what puts the species in jeopardy in the long run."

He says the commission needs to clarify what harassment is and enforce those rules. The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983 to give manatees protected sanctuary during the winter months, but many now make it their year-round home. It provides habitat for about 11 percent of the nation's manatee population.

Speaking from a research vessel following a manatee, Buddy Powell, executive director of Sea to Shore Alliance and a manatee expert, says harassment can chase the animals out of protected waters into areas of heavier boat traffic, which he has witnessed first-hand.

"I was totally amazed at how many close calls those animals have. They're actually quite good at getting out of the way, but their only good chance is if the boat is going slowly."

He says FWC guidelines call for reduced boat speeds in manatee areas; no feeding, poking or riding manatees; and observing them from a distance. He says following the no-touch rule gives people a better chance of seeing natural manatee behavior - like mothers nursing their babies or manatees feeding - an experience he calls a "privilege."

"Here we are in almost an urban environment with people being able to observe and share this experience of seeing a very unusual and wild animal. They help us remain in touch with the wildness of Florida."

Powell says given the laws on the books, the FWC could vote to stop people from swimming with the manatees altogether, but he thinks people just need to show more respect for the manatees' sanctuary.




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The state Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers to help create a new Bumble Bee Atlas.

Bees are an important part of the ecosystem, and scientists are figuring out their habitats to help them thrive.

Iowa is home to at least 14 species of bumble bees that help pollinate native wildflowers and flowering crops in farm fields and backyard gardens.

Iowa State University University Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and plant pathologist Matt O'Neal said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently listed several bee species as endangered.

"And that includes the Rusty Patch bumble bee," said O'Neal, "20% of what it used to be, and that includes parts of Iowa. There is also evidence that other bumble species are in decline and so, this survey will give us a chance to see where those bees are and how abundant they are."

With that information, O'Neal said scientists can work to protect the bees' habitats and create Iowa's Bumble Bee Atlas.

It's part of a larger project to map the bees and foster bee development nationwide. Sign up online to volunteer.

The national project is part of a collaboration with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Some 900 people have volunteered for the national atlas project, and counted more than 20,000 bumble bees - which O'Neal said face several major threats.

"Pesticide exposure, parasite and pathogens," said O'Neal, "and then the last 'P,' and probably the most important, is poor forage."

The researchers will work to alleviate those threats by knowing where the bees are.

Volunteers have discovered species thought to be gone from their states, contributed to new field guides, and improved scientists' understanding of bumble bee populations across the country.




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A coalition of conservation groups has sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to relist wolves under the Endangered Species Act.

Helena-based Alliance for the Wild Rockies is part of the suit. The Alliance sued to successfully overturn the wolf's delisting in 2012 but the move fell victim to congressional funding bill negotiations.

Mike Garrity, executive director of the alliance, said the wolves clearly qualify to be protected under the Act and hunting is driving down their numbers, which could cause problems for the animals.

"As their numbers decline, they are at greater risk for inbreeding," Garrity pointed out. "Once inbreeding sets in, the population is sunk."

Livestock and cattle owners argued wolves are a threat to their flocks and herds and want their numbers reduced. The suit was filed in federal District Court in Missoula.

Beyond keeping a robust population of wolves on Montana's lands and helping their species thrive, Garrity noted wolves can also help reduce the population of diseased animals.

"We're starting to have disease in deer, such as Chronic Wasting Disease," Garrity explained. "Predators like wolves are really good at focusing on the sick animals, so that's an excellent way to control Chronic Wasting Disease."

Garrity added wolf management policies in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, all of which allow aggressive hunting of the animals, fail to protect wolves and all native species for future generations, the primary mandate of the Endangered Species Act.

A lawsuit over a federal agency's decision not to boost wolf protections in New Mexico and other western states has been filed, days after video surfaced showing the torture of a captured wolf.

According to accounts, a Wyoming man ran the wolf down with a snowmobile in late February, disabling it. He then took it to a local bar and posed for photos before shooting it.

Erik Molvar, executive director of the Western Watersheds Project, said federal protections under the Endangered Species Act are essential because there are still those who don't respect wildlife.

"That's why wolves were driven extinct in the first place, is because these types of people were the ones who controlled the public policy discussion throughout much of the 20th century when wolves were driven extinct," he said.

In early February, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to restore protections for gray wolves in western states. The agency said it concluded the animals weren't in danger of extinction under the Endangered Species Act.

The lawsuit was filed by the Western Environmental Law Center on behalf of Western Watersheds and a coalition of nine other conservation groups.

Molvar believes the federal agency's decision not to re-designate western wolves as "endangered" was profoundly misguided. He said some states such as New Mexico and Colorado have adopted extra penalties for killing wolves, but the Endangered Species Act lets hunters in other states off the hook if they claim it was a case of mistaken identity.

"There were special loopholes for Wyoming, Idaho and Montana - and also parts of Oregon, Washington and Utah - so it does beg the question of how often this is happening quietly and under the radar," he explained.

In Wyoming, wolves and coyotes, which are considered predators, aren't eligible for protections under the state's animal cruelty statute. To date, the only penalty inflicted on the person shown on social media tormenting the wolf was a $250 fine by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.