, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission data. Such a number of manatee deaths is unprecedented, according to Berchem.<\/span><\/p>\nManatees are quiet, docile indicators of the condition of the environment that they share with humans. Beyond that, manatees are important for other reasons. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, they keep invasive species, such as water hyacinth and hydrilla, in check. Berchem says the sea cows help keep waterways open for boaters by grazing on aquatic plants. In addition, they help Florida\u2019s economy by attracting tourists who come specifically to see them in their natural habitat.<\/span><\/p>\nManatees enter the Blue Spring waterway from November to March to escape colder temperatures in the St. Johns River. However, Berchem says the numbers have been fluctuating, which is unusual for this time of year. After seeing over 500 manatees at once in early December, Berchem saw a sudden decrease to about five to 10 manatees only a few weeks later.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 4″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Rising water temperatures and levels, stronger storms and irregular weather patterns are results of climate change that threaten the manatee population, Berchem says. When manatees migrate too far out because of warmer waters, sudden temperature drops leave them stranded, where they can die from cold stress. Additionally, hurricanes and rising water levels can often move manatees inland or into a waterway with no outlet, also leaving them stranded.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 5″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\u201cIt warmed up so quickly that they’re leaving the spring and they’re going out into the St. Johns River to feed because there really is no food for them in the spring run,\u201d Berchem says. \u201cWhat I am concerned about is days like today, where it\u2019s suddenly dropping, the temperatures are dropping overnight very quickly. And I feel because we’ve had very, very warm weather for the last two weeks \u2026 these manatees have migrated really far out, and I am a little concerned that they’re not making it back in time for the warm water.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2022\/01\/Shivani06.jpg” title_text=”DCIM100GOPROGOPR0277.JPG” admin_label=”Image 5″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 5″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
A manatee calf swims close to its mother, capturing the attention of park visitors looking into the shallow spring run. Keeping track of the calf survival rate is an important part of Berchem\u2019s work, who said that 70 calves were counted in Blue Spring in 2021. (Photo by Shivani Persaud)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2022\/01\/Shivani05.jpg” title_text=”Shivani05″ admin_label=”Image 4″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 4″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Berchem and her co-researcher Wayne Hartley float in a canoe down the Blue Spring run, pointing out each manatee that they see. The count can take anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours each morning, according to Berchem. (Photo by Rick Brunson)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2022\/01\/Shivani04.jpg” title_text=”Shivani04″ align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 3″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 3″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Blue Spring State Park gained a new inhabitant when Gibbs the manatee was released back into the wild by volunteers from SeaWorld and Save the Manatee Club. Her name is a reference to the \u201870s hit \u201cStaying Alive,\u201d because she continuously received CPR during the 97-mile drive from Welaka, Putnam County, to SeaWorld. (Photo by Shivani Persaud)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2022\/01\/Shivani03.jpg” title_text=”DCIM100GOPROGOPR0269.JPG” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” admin_label=”Image 2″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Caption 2″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Manatees swim leisurely in the waterway at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City. The gentle creatures can hold their breath underwater for up to 20 minutes before coming up for air, Berchem said. (Photo by Shivani Persaud)<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 6″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Moving from Germany to New Jersey and then Florida showed Berchem that climate change was not only a problem in Florida or in the United States, but globally. Berchem remembers when she was living in New Jersey in 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the northeastern United States and severely affected people.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cPeople up there are not prepared for hurricanes like we are here in Florida,\u201d Berchem says. \u201cI\u2019m confronted with harder hitting hurricanes and really shifting weather patterns. And then looking at Germany, for example, my family still lives over there. And last year, they had humongous flooding in the middle of the summer that literally wiped out entire towns.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nUnfortunately, climate change continues to affect Berchem\u2019s work in Florida. In the eight years that Berchem has been working with manatees, she has participated in numerous rescue missions throughout the state of Florida.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe literally had to rescue anywhere between five and 50 manatees out of areas that they really wouldn\u2019t have gotten into if it hadn\u2019t been for very strong storms,\u201d Berchem says.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 7″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Saving the manatees and preserving their population is more than simply protecting wildlife. To Berchem, these gentle creatures have become like family. Berchem and Hartley name the manatees that they count in the Blue Spring waterway not only to identify them, but to humanize them.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cEvery year when we start doing the counts in November and you see all these manatees coming back, it\u2019s like your family coming home for the holidays, or seeing your friends,\u201d Berchem says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 8″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”18px” text_line_height=”1.8em” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Getting a call to recover a manatee carcass can be emotional, Berchem says, and makes her wonder which one of her aquatic friends was no more.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cYou don\u2019t want to see any of them, but it\u2019s especially heartbreaking if it\u2019s one of the ones you\u2019ve really known very, very well for years,\u201d Berchem says. \u201cIt\u2019s more than just counting numbers and counting animals and putting them into a database. It\u2019s really more personal than that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.7″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/52\/2022\/01\/Shivani_Video01.mp4″ thumbnail_overlay_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.6)” _builder_version=”4.14.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON LIFE We are finding, coaching and training public media\u2019s next generation. This #nprnextgenradio project is created in in Tampa, Florida, where six talented reporters are participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program. In this project we are speaking to people to highlight the experiences of people whose lives are being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":474,"featured_media":539,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"coauthors":[11],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/161"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/474"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/floridanewsroom2022.nextgenradio.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}