West Palm Beach's Manatee Lagoon to hold season kickoff celebration
Newbies to Florida might think manatees are merely those gentle giants with faces only a mother could love. Or maybe they've read that back in the days of treasure maps, these are the beasts that (very) drunken sailors may have confused for mermaids.
But most Floridians see these creatures as an iconic part of our local ecosystem, and this is the perfect weekend to dig even deeper and learn a bit more about our water-dwelling neighbors.
Celebrating seven years of manatee education and environmental conservation, Manatee Lagoon — an FPL eco-discovery center — will kick off its 2023-24 season in grand fashion.
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On Saturday, Nov. 18, the center will host a celebration that showcases several new exhibits and programs, and also keeps things fun with face painting, scavenger hunts, frozen treats, while also welcoming marine-themed vendors.
The theme of this year's celebration is "Manatee Moments" and it is designed to promote conservation efforts and encourage safety awareness.
“Our goal at Manatee Lagoon is to inspire people to preserve and protect Florida’s environment and wildlife for future generations," said Zack Greenberg, senior operations manager at Manatee Lagoon.
Open since February 2016, the newly-enhanced facility hosts several new exhibits and programs for this season including an exhibit on seagrass and another on Florida mangroves.
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Sea grasses such as turtle grass, manatee grass and shoal grass are manatees' primary food source, and the new exhibit will help visitors better understand how vital they are to our local and state underwater ecosystems.
In addition to being an excellent place to learn about manatees, Manatee Lagoon is also a great place to see them.
Being true Floridians, manatees don't like cold water; when the water temperature begins to dip into the low 70s, they will start looking for warmer water. For years, they've gravitated to the warm-water area created by hot-water outflow from the Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center right next to Manatee Lagoon.
On some winter days, over 100 manatees will congregate in the "hot-tub" below the outflow, where they can be watched from the Manatee Lagoon's observation area.
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The center even has webcams, both on the surface and underwater, so manatees can be viewed online.
The first 400 visitors to the event will each receive free waterproof phone pouches that contain information on what to do if they see a manatee in distress.
Spoiler alert: If you do see a manatee in distress, call Florida Fish and Wildlife's Manatee Hotline at 888-404-3922 and provide the time, location and estimated size of the distressed animal.
Manatee Season Kickoff at Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach
Where: 6000 N. Flagler Dr., West Palm Beach
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18
Cost: free
More: The kickoff will feature environmental exhibitors from the Carter Viss Foundation, Friends of Manatee Lagoon, John D MacArthur Beach State Park, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, and Lagoon side Chats from Lake Worth Water Keeper and Palm Beach County Environmental Resource Management.
Information: visitmanateelagoon.com
Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He has lived in the West Palm Beach area for more than 30 years and, from mild to wild, will cover noteworthy community happenings. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FPL Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach holds season kickoff festival
