Photo courtesy of Manatee Lagoon
November is manatee awareness month, marking the start of manatees returning to the warmer waters of South Florida. In honor of these gentle sea giants, Manatee Lagoon, a Florida Power & Light (FPL) Eco-Discovery Center®, is hosting a free kickoff event. Join them Saturday, November 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to celebrate the beginning of the 2023-2024 manatee season!
Your whole family can enjoy scavenger hunts, vendors, face painting and receive a free frozen treat! Additionally, the first 400 visitors will receive a free waterproof phone pouch. The pouch includes information about how to report a sighting of a distressed manatee in the wild, according to the Manatee Lagoon press release.
The Manatee Lagoon kickoff aims to promote conservation efforts and safety awareness, according to the press release.
Fun Fact:
Manatees are very kind and friendly toward humans due to their lack of natural predators, according to Manatee Swim Center. They are essentially incapable of being mean or aggressive!
“We hope visitors enjoy the event and also learn about manatees in the wild,” Zack Greenberg, the senior operations manager of Manatee Lagoon, said in the press release. “Our goal at Manatee Lagoon is to inspire people to preserve and protect Florida’s environment and wildlife for future generations. Manatees are an iconic part of our local ecosystem and we want to encourage people to help.”
But the fun doesn’t stop there with Manatee Lagoon! The center is offering new exhibits, including a seagrass exhibit and a Florida mangroves exhibit, according to the press release.
Since 2016, Manatee Lagoon has been educating the community about manatees and working in environmental conservation, according to the press release. FPL built the center as part of its environmental mission to teach the public about manatees.
For more information, visit visitmanateelagoon.com.