Patti Thompson Quotes (7 Quotes)

Because Putnam and Volusia counties have manatee viewing as a spring and summertime tourist attraction, the need to be safe is imperative and the boaters are very cognizant of them being in the water. We are not big fans of people swimming with manatees, but manatee viewing is something everyone should do before they die. It is that awesome. People have a heightened awareness of manatees after actually seeing them.

There are four main areas of concern where manatees tend to live. The northeast or upper St. Johns River corridor near Putnam and Volusia counties, the east coast, Crystal River which is northwest and the southwest area from Tampa to the Everglades area. Two of those areas, the two small ones, Crystal River and the upper St. Johns River, are doing well in those regions.

There actually wasn't a danger to the public during that time.

I think we're getting a lot of hits from it, because we'll have people who read it or saw it and they're wondering about how to handle an insurance agent or adjustor or how did I get through the night. This is very much a good complement to our business.

All a manatee needs, we have found, is a chance to get out of the way of an oncoming boat. We have scientific proof that manatees can sense a boat and attempt to move away. A fast boat doesn't give the slow moving animal an opportunity to get out of the way.

They often venture out, go farther than the closest available food resources. But it's a concern that the closest food source won't be available to them this year. They have energy budgets that they don't want to overuse, and if the closest source is in bad shape, they'll have to travel farther to find food.

It doesn't mean any more than it did last year or the year before. It's interesting cocktail conversation.