Teacher's Corner
School classes may adopt one of four manatees frequently seen in the Tampa Bay area for only $20 per class through Save The Manatee Club's popular Adopt-A-Manatee program.
Classes that adopt a manatee will receive a photo of their manatee, their manatee's biography, and an adoption certificate. They also receive a scar pattern sheet that depicts the identifying marks of the manatee and a map that shows their manatee's favorite "hangout" areas along Florida's west coast. In addition, they will receive the Save the Manatee Club Newsletter four times a year, with updates on their manatee's whereabouts and activities. Teachers also can receive a teaching guide to incorporate lessons about manatees into their class curriculum.
Four manatees who spend all or part of the year in or near Tampa Bay are in the adoption program - Elsie, Flicker, Jemp, Vector and Ginger. A portion of the proceeds from the Tampa Bay Adopt-A-Manatee program will be spent on public awareness, education, rescue, and research efforts concerning manatees in and around Tampa Bay. These efforts will include television and radio public service announcements, public awareness signs, informational decals for boaters, and manatee education kiosks.
For more information about the manatee adoption program, call Save the Manatee Club at 1-800-432-JOIN (5646) or access the SMC Web site on the Internet at http://www.savethemanatee.org.
