Overview
- Blue Spring State Park counted 697 manatees on New Year’s Day in its 72-degree waters, the park reported.
- Video from the Southwest Florida Water Management District showed large groups at Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River.
- A late-December cold blast with lows in the 30s and 40s pushed the animals into constant-temperature springs to avoid cold stress below 68°F.
- The water management district said it recently stabilized the Three Sisters shoreline to reduce erosion, improve water quality, and enhance safety.
- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service limits water access at the refuge from Nov. 15 to April 1, with visitors viewing from designated boardwalks.