Manatees finally return to these restored Florida rivers | WILD HOPE

Crystal River has long been a safe haven for the Florida manatee, but when an invasive algae wiped out the eelgrass that manatees need for food, the community rallied to restore the river and save the animals that call it home.

After an unexpected storm forever changed Crystal River more than three decades ago, Lisa Moore founded Save Crystal River to rally the community to garner funding for a massive restoration project. Sea and Shoreline’s Jessica Mailliez demonstrates the dirty work they do to remove invasive algae and restore native eelgrass. This transformation has allowed Florida manatees to return to Crystal River, but for those living along the west coast of the state, the situation is much more dire.

There, manatees are declining fast — nearly two thousand have died from starvation since 2020 along the Indian River Lagoon. Zoo Tampa has been rescuing as many starving manatees as they can hold, saving them from death and prepping them for re-release into the wild. Fortunately for the manatees ready to return to the wild, they have a safe destination: Crystal River. The strides made in that small community hold promise for a path forward for manatees across the state.

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[twilightgardenspresentatio]

This is what we need people trained and paid to do, the real work of restoration

[danatutela]

I grew up on CR's clear waters in the 70's and saw the decline first hand over the years. I'm so impressed with the restoration efforts! The river is clear again and the manatees are thriving. Thank you for this wonderful video!

[eliii]

As a Floridian, i truly feel blessed to live here. This brought tear to my eyes.

[TragoudistrosMPH]

It's really awesome to see work being done to protect our world.
Everything we do has an impact, so the more good there is done the better!

[rblauson]

Manatees are some of the most amazing animals on the planet it’s our responsibility to protect them ❤❤❤❤

[MrMountainchris]

Thank you to all the awesome people trying to save these beautiful creatures and habitats.

[davidblair]

We, as a country, need to incentivize conservation. Most of our economy is based around ruthless exploitation of the natural environment, but what use is the wealth to buy a boat if your rivers are poisoned? What’s the use of fine hiking shoes if there are no forests to hike in?
Nature—undamaged, untainted nature—is far more valuable than the sum of water, wood, and stone it contains. We need to find a means to measure that, and decide how to use it wisely. Stories of restoration are heartwarming, but preservation saves more than restoration.

[SpecialSP]

This is a fantastic tribute to the tireless work of ecologically based people power! ❤
Thank you for this video!

[miyra]

This is really amazing. Hopefully the restoration projects will continue spreading to other rivers across Florida for the benefit everyone

[Ohkay]

I'm happy the sea potatoes have their river back.

[KathiLegge-pkwu]

Thank you for a beautiful story of people who got involved with such an important mission. They didn’t sit back and complain, they got to work. This restores my faith in humanity.

[Kate-wuif]

Ty Lisa..& everyone involved..God Speed!

[TheMysticSaint]

This was fascinating. I was out at crystal river a long time ago and it truly was beautiful. Clear, deep, huge fish, even bigger alligators and I kayaked up to the springs side by side with one of those gators. It was a wonderful experience.

I actually live very close to Indian River Lagoon, so it's good to know they are trying to clean that up.

[Cheka__]

Manatees are such sweethearts. Swimming with them is a great experience.

[peggybouchard]

Thank you so much. I lived on the intercoastal in West Palm Beach. And it was horrible the way they had no food. And another thing was the propellers on the boat. They put around propalace. I saw so many injured manatees. It broke my heart. Thank you for your service save The manatees❤

[DeatrahBello]

Hi my favorite story about my interaction with manatees. I was in Key Largo camping with some friends and we were hanging out in the ocean. All of a sudden a baby manatee came up to us and started swimming around us. We didn’t dare touch it but boy was it tempting. All of a sudden we hear the mom make noises which we assumed was telling the baby it’s time to move on. The baby swim back to the mother and right before she got to her mom she turned around and came back and swim around us a few more times. The mother once again made a noise, and the baby went back to the mother and off they swam. It might not sound like anything big to most of you, but to us, it was a memory that we still hold near and dear to our hearts. I was very fortunate i lived in Dade County on a lake that was connected to the Everglades and once in a while, we would have a manatee or two come and visit. It was rare but when you heard there were manatees you would run out to the pier and hope to spot one. It’s the only time you got to see all your neighbors well except for that time a alligator got over the fence from the Everglades and…. That’s a whole other story. Thank you for sharing this I now live in the Indian river area and I love it here thank you for bringing attention to our beautiful sea cows. They are beautiful and fascinating animals. And thank you for all the hard work that y’all have put in to save them.

[sherriesandy]

I'm from Indiana and have Florida family, my granddaughter is the manager at Crystal River Kayak and Dive Company. I make it to Florida about twice a year and love to see the manatees, they amaze me. The springs are beautiful, they look like a painting. I would recommend Crystal River and Homosassa Springs to everyone.❤

[elizabethyow]

I love manatees, this story is so inspiring! 🌊💞

I love how Lisa and Marie went to every school to educate the children/youth!

[blessedbeauty]

- This is such a beautiful story. I'm so glad to see people caring to rebuild. ❤

[pattimiller]

These people are heroes ❤🙏🙏they save our land and water