The Work Continues!
As the end of manatee season nears, we are excited to dive back in full swing! While the project may have slowed down over the winter months, rest assured our workers with Sea & Shoreline have still been actively cleaning and making progress in our approved winter permitted areas. This ensures our favorite snowbirds, the West Indian manatee, can continue their annual migration undisturbed. It also means progress continues!
Winter Progress
So what have we done? Week by week updates on our work can always be found on our Neighborhood Update page. This past winter we have focused mainly on the areas of 2B3, 2B4, and 2B5 (see map in the sidebar). These areas have been cleaned, planted, and caged! We are excited to see the growth and spread of these plants as we head in to the warmer Spring and Summer months.
What’s next?
April 1st marks the end of the 2019/2020 manatee season and gives us the green light to begin working back in our other permitted areas. As of this date we will be utilizing our former pilot project site near Hunter Springs as “Mini-Mobilization” site for some extra maintenance that will begin in the Hunter Springs Basin (see map to right). Follow along on our Neighborhood Update page.
We will also begin vacuum cleaning 2A1, which is highlighted in orange on the map to the right. This map outlines the projected timeline for our upcoming stages.
What about COVID-19?
While considered Essential Workers, the staff with Sea & Shoreline are taking special precautions to ensure the health and safety of their team while maintaining the ability to continue cleaning our waterways.
Sea & Shoreline has instituted an extensive program to limit the exposure and/or transmission of infection to its employees and local residents. During daily operations, Sea & Shoreline employees work in boats on the water and have no need to interact with community members. If any necessary interactions need to occur, they are at a distance of greater than six feet. Sea & Shoreline employees also occupy independent housing, separate from local hotels and lodging. They have an in-house food program which excludes the need to visit grocery stores or interact with local residents. Employees utilize their own fuel cell so there are no interactions at fuel stations, and there is no impact on local fuel supplies. Our work sites are gated with no access to the public, and work areas are outside with social distancing precautions being observed. These work areas have hand washing stations with soap and hand sanitizers, and we also have hand sanitizers on all of our boats.
We are very proud of our contractor and their staff for their dedication to this project and our ecosystem.
