Digging deep to save Florida’s manatees

Increased depth of water by up to 3ft

February 2012: Manatees are returning to Florida's Fanning Springs after work to restore the waters to its historic depths.

The theory had been that by increasing depths, more manatees would be able to use the area of the Suwannee River - and as work progressed the theory quickly proved true.

‘As the project was going on, more and more manatees were showing up at Fanning Springs. We went from two to four manatees to eight or 12,' said Ron Mezich, who works on manatees and aquatic habitat at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). ‘For manatees in wintertime, it is a warm-water refuge.'

Underwater cleaning carried out by handFrom early November 2011 through early January 2012, underwater cleaning of the springs was carried out by a scuba diver holding a hand-held device similar to a giant vacuum cleaner. Hand cleaning was the preferred method as it minimizes any disturbance to the springs' waters and gives the opportunity to preserve any artifacts found in the removed sediment.

Park staff and volunteers sifted through more than 500 cubic yards of removed sediment and found boards and an ash rake from a former sawmill on the site, as well as coins, including a liberty half-dollar and buffalo nickel.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/manatee-sediment.html