If you restore Fanning Springs to its historic depths by removing sediment, more manatees will be able to use this shimmering spot on the Suwannee River. That was the idea behind the project to clear the bottom of Fanning Springs, and it quickly came true.

“As the project was going on, more and more manatees were showing up at Fanning Springs. We went from two to four manatees to eight or 12,” said Ron Mezich, who works on manatees and aquatic habitat at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). “Fanning Springs may feel cold to us, but it is 70 to 72 degrees, and for manatees in wintertime, it is a warm-water refuge. Manatees can’t survive for long in water below 68 degrees.”

The recently completed project to remove sediment from the springs was a cooperative effort among the FWC, The Nature Conservancy and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which manages Fanning Springs State Park.

From early November 2011 through early January 2012, underwater cleaning of the springs was done by a scuba diver using a hand-held device resembling a giant vacuum cleaner. Hand cleaning was the preferred method to minimize disturbance to the springs’ waters and preserve any artifacts found in the removed sediment. Park staff and volunteers sifted through more than 500 cubic yards of removed sediment and found boards and an ash rake from a former sawmill on the site, as well as coins like a liberty half-dollar and buffalo nickel.

With the project completed, Fanning Springs is 2 to 3 feet deeper in some areas and able to provide additional habitat for manatees to escape winter’s cold. Recently, Florida manatees have been hit hard by cold weather, with documented manatee deaths due to cold stress at their highest levels, including 112 cold-related manatee deaths in 2011, 282 in 2010, and 56 in 2009. Previously, manatee deaths due to cold stress averaged 30 per year.

“Conservation of warm-water habitats like Fanning Springs is critical to the long-term conservation of the manatee, and a priority for the FWC and our partners,” Mezich said. “Florida’s springs provide warm-water habitat for about 20 percent of the manatee population.”

Mezich said the recent observation of more manatees migrating into Fanning Springs was probably attributable to the weather getting chillier, limited access of boats to the springs during construction, and improved access to the springs for manatees.

Fanning Springs is a major attraction in a small rural community. Fanning Springs State Park is a hub of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail, and local residents and visitors come here for swimming, snorkeling and boating. The FWC encourages visitors to come to the park to see if manatees are using this warm-water refuge. While you are there, the FWC recommends doing your manatee observations from the park’s dock and boardwalk. Boats of all types entering the springs during winter months can disturb and discourage manatees from using this warm-water site when it is most important to their survival. The springs also are prime habitat for mudfish, freshwater flounder and turtles.

Fanning Springs is a second-magnitude spring, producing less than 65 million gallons of water daily. Historically, though, it was a first-magnitude spring, the largest class of springs, with a flow of up to 100 cubic feet of water per second, as recently as the 1990s. The spring’s sediment problems were caused by erosion from its banks, when they were used by people coming there to swim and recreate. The park staff restored vegetation to stabilize those banks, preventing further erosion.

“We’re taking the spring run at Fanning Springs back to a more historic depth contour. Sedimentation caused it to become too shallow,” Mezich said.

To support manatee conservation and research, Floridians can purchase the “Save the Manatee” license plate. Information is available at www.buyaplate.com. To learn more about manatees, go to MyFWC.com/Manatee.

To plan a visit to Fanning Springs State Park, see www.floridastateparks.org.

To find out more about the Fanning Springs restoration, go to The Nature Conservancy’s website at www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/florida/howwework/saving-manatees-through-springs-restoration.xml.

FWC Chairman Kathy Barco, along with Vice Chairman Kenneth Wright and commissioners Brian Yablonski, Charles Roberts III and Aliese P. “Liesa” Priddy were on hand to receive the award.

“I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the Commissioners and staff of the FWC,” Barco said. “It is a reflection of our excellent partnership with the NWTF and the commitment we hold for proper management of wildlife habitat and preservation of our hunting heritage.

“We are thankful to be working side by side with the membership and staff of NWTF to build a lasting conservation legacy that will be appreciated and enjoyed by many generations to come,” Barco added.

The NWTF has given the Land Stewardship Award each year since 1994 to forestry and utility companies and organizations for excellence in land management, partnerships and NWTF project support. The award recognizes those who have done outstanding work to benefit natural resources through land stewardship and partnerships.

The FWC faces the daunting challenge of managing more than 5.8 million acres of public hunting land in a state that expects to double its human population in the next 50 years. The FWC has worked with the NWTF on many projects, including:

• Establishing a cost-share program in 1994 that has put more than $2.2 million into habitat enhancement across 470 projects throughout the state’s public wildlife management areas and state forests, impacting over a million acres to date.
• Providing approximately $375,000 to support NWTF cooperative positions, including two biologists and one youth hunting program coordinator since 2006. These positions have fostered the generation of another $3 million of cash match and $2.5 million of in-kind match to impact more than 650,000 acres of public and private lands habitat.
• Providing more than $100,000 of in-kind value through the Florida FWC Private Lands Program in support of NWTF landowner outreach and education, which have reached more than 1,500 landowners representing more than 250,000 acres since 2006.

“The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has helped create a sustainable and healthy future for Florida’s fish, wildlife, water and habitat resources and has forged an incredibly productive relationship with the NWTF,” said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., NWTF chief conservation officer. “Florida FWC’s partnerships with the NWTF have enabled us to improve wildlife habitat throughout the state and help pass along our hunting heritage to the next generation.”

The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserve the state’s hunting heritage. Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, investing more than $372 million to conserve 17 million acres of critical habitat for all types of wildlife.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is moving ahead on its plan to manage and conserve Florida black bears so they are never again at risk of extinction. With the bear population rebounding from about 300 to 3,000 over the past 40 years, the FWC recognizes Florida’s conservation success with bears and recommends the state’s largest land mammal be removed from the threatened species list.

The Commissioners today (Feb. 9) discussed the draft Florida Black Bear Management Plan, a proposed black bear conservation rule, and heard public comments and suggestions. Final action on the draft bear management plan and rule was not taken today. The Commissioners are scheduled to take up a revision of the draft plan and the rule during their June meeting.

Pointing out a paragraph in the draft bear plan tracking the fall and rise of Florida’s bear population, Commissioner Brian Yablonski said, “We had 750,000 people in Florida in 1914 and we had roughly 3,000 bears, and here we are at the last data point in 2002 and we’ve got 17 million people in 2002 and about 3,000 bears. That’s an amazing success story. I think this is a very positive day.”

Commissioner Richard Corbett said, “The major focus is how we manage and protect with a major population increase of bears and a major population increase of humans.”

The draft bear management plan, released on Nov. 10, 2011, was followed by a two-month period of public input, which included public workshops in Bristol, Naples, DeLand and Gainesville. Floridians offered feedback at the workshops, online where the draft plan was posted at MyFWC.com/Bear, and by mailing written comments. About 2,500 comments were received from private citizens and stakeholder groups on the draft plan. Additionally, people had the opportunity to speak at today’s meeting.

The public commented on issues such as updating bear population estimates, reducing human-bear conflicts and continuing the review of land-use changes impacting bear habitat.

Members of the public also expressed opinions on whether to allow bear hunting in Florida and whether taking bears off the state’s threatened species list would impact bear conservation.

FWC staff is recommending following many of the public’s suggestions to change, clarify and improve the overall plan.

Commissioners also gave tentative approval to a proposed FWC rule that would make it unlawful to injure or kill bears, continuing protections similar to the ones granted to bears as a state threatened species. The rule additionally commits the FWC to working with landowners and regulating agencies to guide future land use to be compatible with objectives of the bear plan.

The draft plan proposes:

• Seven bear management units (BMUs)toreflect areas where Florida’s black bear populations are concentrated. The units would offer the opportunity for local input on managing bear populations and habitat. For example, the Central BMU, based in Ocala National Forest, has the largest estimated population of about 1,000 bears; the East Panhandle BMU encompasses Apalachicola National Forest, with roughly 600 bears; and the South Central BMU in Glades and Highlands counties has about 175 bears.
• Creation of “Bear Smart Communities” in areas of high bear activity. A “Bear Smart Community” would involve its residents, businesses, public agencies and schools in educating people about how to live in bear country and respond appropriately to human-bear conflicts.For example, the U.S. Air Force’s Hurlburt Field in Okaloosa County switched to bear-proof garbage cans and dumpsters, instituted an active education program and trained personnel in appropriate responses to human-bear conflicts. After two years of these efforts, Hurlburt experienced a 70-percent reduction in human-bear conflicts.

The Florida black bear is among the 62 wildlife species that soon will join the list of species, like the bald eagle, already under an FWC management plan. Florida’s new threatened species conservation model requires that management plans be created for all species that have been state-listed and that plans be updated at specified intervals.

Those management plans give citizens an active role in Florida’s efforts to conserve its diverse wildlife for future generations.

For more information about bears, go to MyFWC.com/Bear.

Officer Duane North is the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) 2012 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. North, who works in Volusia County in the agency’s Northeast Region, was recognized Thursday by Shikar-Safari Club International during the FWC’s Commission meeting at the Florida Public Safety Institute.

Shikar-Safari is a conservation-based organization that presents awards annually to wildlife law enforcement officers in all states, provinces and territories in the United States and Canada. The annual award honors a state officer whose efforts show outstanding performance and achievement among sworn fish and wildlife law enforcement personnel.

“It makes me proud to know that people like North are standing up for the traditions and values that are important to us as Floridians,” said Jim Harrison, representative for Shikar-Safari.

North arrested five people for drunk boating or driving in 2011 and cited or arrested numerous violators for felonies and misdemeanors. But, it is not writing tickets that made him an Officer of the Year.

North is an exceptionally well-rounded officer who consistently uses his skills and knowledge to make quality, FWC core-mission cases on land and water, his supervisors say. He inspires teamwork within his and other FWC squads, and with other agencies – local, state and federal. He fully understands the value of educating Florida residents and visitors about the state’s natural resources and boating opportunities, and the laws in place to protect them, and is often the first to step up to participate in outreach and education events.

“Officer North is proving to be one of the FWC’s most talented and capable officers. He has abundant energy and enthusiasm, and demonstrates his passion for being a fish and wildlife officer every day,” said Col. Jim Brown, director of the FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement. “We are both fortunate and proud to have an officer of his caliber on the FWC team.”    

North has always had a passion for hunting, the outdoors and law enforcement and dreamed of becoming an FWC officer. He said he reached that goal in 2008 when he was hired as an FWC officer, patrolling the Volusia County portion of the St. Johns River. Prior to joining the FWC, North was a police officer with the Daytona Police Department and a deputy with Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

In 2010, two years after joining the FWC, North transferred to his current position as part of a squad that patrols primarily on land. In his short tenure with the agency, he has become an exemplary officer and a leader among his peers.

Below are a few examples of his work:

• He arrested an individual who shot a decoy deer in the Tiger Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA).
• During a night hunting detail, he and a squad mate apprehended and arrested on felony charges two men who were stealing copper from utility poles in Lake George WMA.
• North issued citations related to antlerless deer and gopher tortoises, hunting turkey over bait and night hunting.
• While working a detail in Lake George WMA, he ran the tag of a hunter parked in the WMA. After checking the registered owner for the appropriate licenses, he noticed the subject was hunting with a guest permit associated with a known convicted felon. North then set up surveillance and waited until the convicted felon came out of the woods carrying a modern muzzleloader firearm. The individual was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

North and his wife, Crystal, have three children: Christopher, 10; Matthieu, 4; and Brianna, almost 2. He enjoys the outdoors and likes to hunt and fish. But mostly, he says, he loves spending time with his wife and children.

On Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved two boating safety zones proposed by staff.

The Commission approved two rule amendments, contingent upon supporting resolutions from both counties, which will create slow-speed, minimum-wake zones in Monroe and Volusia counties.

“The zones are designed to enhance boating safety in both areas by slowing down vessel traffic,” said Capt. Richard Moore, head of the FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section. Currently, boaters can travel on-plane in these areas.

The proposed Monroe County zone is adjacent to the U.S. 1 bridge over Jewfish Creek, extending 300 feet north and 800 feet south of the bridge fender system.

“The FWC was contacted by stakeholders regarding safety issues in this area,” Moore said.

As a result, FWC staff conducted online boater surveys and held a public meeting in Key Largo in December to gather additional public input, resulting in the proposed amendment.

The other proposed zone is in the vicinity of the Highbridge Road bridge and boat ramp in Volusia County; this zone would extend 300 feet north of the bridge fender system and 300 feet south of the boat ramp.

“FWC officers and members of the public have noticed boating safety issues in this area, due to limited visibility around the structures,” said Maj. Jack Daugherty of the FWC’s Boating and Waterways Section.

The FWC received positive feedback overall, via electronic comments and at a public meeting it held in Ormond Beach in December.

The proposals amend Florida Administrative Code rules 68D-24.144 and 68D-24.164. For additional information, visit MyFWC.com/Boating or call 850-488-5600.

Some of Florida’s commercial fishermen will soon have more fishing opportunities, thanks to changes made by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) at its Wednesday, Feb. 8, Commission meeting. Management changes will be made to the king mackerel harvest in southern Florida and the oyster harvest in Apalachicola Bay.

Commercial king mackerel fishers harvesting from waters off Monroe County will be able to land and sell their harvest in Collier County from April 1 to July 1. The Commission took this action because commercial fisherman can’t land their catch in Collier County because the season usually closes before April.

When the waters off Collier County are closed, commercial fishermen harvesting from Monroe County waters experience economic hardships because they must travel farther distances to sell their fish. The change will allow these fishermen to travel a shorter distance to sell their catch.

The Commissioners also approved a measure that will allow the harvest of oysters for seven days a week in Apalachicola Bay. Previously, harvest was not allowed on Fridays and Saturdays from June 1 through Aug. 31 and on Saturdays and Sundays from Sept. 1 through Nov. 15. The measure will go into effect June 1.

This increased harvesting opportunity comes in response to management changes in 2010 by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that require oyster harvesters to deliver their oysters by a specified time of day during the warmer months of the year. The seven-day work week will allow Apalachicola Bay oyster harvesters the ability to make up for time lost in harvesting because of the new earlier delivery times.

To learn more about these management changes, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings” and then “Agenda.”

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted Feb. 8 to change how gag grouper is managed in Gulf of Mexico state waters (excluding Monroe County).

The decision, which came during day two of the three-day February Commission meeting, will achieve consistency with federal management efforts while potentially providing a region-specific recreational season in four counties.

The FWC manages marine fish from the shore to nine nautical miles in the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council manages Gulf of Mexico waters farther than nine nautical miles out. The following changes will make state gag grouper management efforts the same as recent federal gag grouper management efforts in the Gulf of Mexico: setting the recreational open season from July 1 through Oct. 31 and lowering the minimum commercial size limit from 24 inches to 22 inches total length.

The Commission also authorized Chairman Kathy Barco and Executive Director Nick Wiley to issue an executive order opening gag grouper season in the state waters off Taylor, Jefferson, Wakulla and Franklin counties, including Apalachicola Bay and Indian Pass. This gag grouper recreational season, if implemented, will open harvest in state waters during April, May and June, and close harvest in those waters during the July-to-October season. These changes will better align fishing opportunity with fish availability.

“I think we have to be sensitive to the economic side and the natural resource side,” said Commissioner Charles W. Roberts III. “I don’t think there is anybody here, especially in this room, who would like to jeopardize gag grouper. This isn’t an easy decision. We have to rely on the data we have available and make good decisions.”

Gag grouper has been closed in Gulf of Mexico state waters since Nov. 16, 2011.

The FWC believes applying these management changes will allow gag grouper populations to rebuild quickly while balancing the needs of anglers.

To learn more, visit MyFWC.com/Commission and click on “Commission Meetings” and “Agenda.”

“Providing safe, convenient access to Florida’s waterways is one of our goals,” said Pat Harrell, the FWC’s Boating Access Coordinator. “This database is designed to help keep boaters informed about facilities that are currently available.”

Boaters can visit the Public Boat Ramp Finder site to locate and obtain details for more than 1,600 publicly accessible boat ramps.

“People can look for boat ramps within a certain county, on a lake they’d like to visit or even search for boat ramps near a specific street address or GPS coordinates,” Harrell said. “The database provides a map, details and often photos of the ramps.”

The database was created from an inventory conducted for the Statewide Boating Access Inventory and Economic Assessment. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provided funding through the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration’s Boating Access Program. Working with boating access management partners, including Florida’s counties and the Department of Environmental Protection, the FWC identified and indexed approximately 3,440 boat ramps around the state.

To access the database, visit MyFWC.com/Boating. To help the FWC improve and update this database, the public is asked to email BoatRamps@MyFWC.com to report errors or new information.

The Feb. 7 workshop starts at 1 p.m.; regular sessions Feb. 8-9 start at 8:30 a.m. at the Florida Public Safety Institute Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy, 215 Academy Dr., Havana. Driving directions to the meeting site are available at https://fpsi.tcc.fl.edu/pages/directions.aspx. All meetings are open to the public.

The stock assessment workshop will provide the Commissioners an opportunity to discuss and share ideas about state and federal marine fisheries stock assessment processes.

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Commissioners are expected to take final action on king mackerel and Gulf of Mexico gag grouper management efforts. They will also look at three marine fisheries and two boating draft rules.

Federal fishery management groups are working on a gag grouper rebuilding plan in the Gulf of Mexico. New Gulf of Mexico gag grouper federal management efforts include setting the recreational season to July 1 through Oct. 31 and decreasing the commercial minimum size limit from 24 inches to 22 inches. Commissioners will decide whether to adopt similar changes in state waters at the meeting.

Commissioners will also take action on a proposed amendment that would allow commercial harvesters taking king mackerel in southwest Florida to land them in Collier County when waters off the county are closed to harvest.

A change in oyster management proposes a seven-day commercial oyster harvest week in Apalachicola Bay. If the Commission approves this, the change could be adopted without additional public hearings.

Another proposed modification would allow Tampa Bay commercial shrimp permit holders to transfer their permits to other commercial harvesters.

A third marine fisheries change, this one on roundscale spearfish, proposes amending state billfish management efforts to coincide with recent federal management changes. Proposed changes include removing roundscale spearfish from a list of prohibited billfish, adding it to the minimum size limit for white marlin and adding roundscale spearfish to the state’s billfish possession limit.

Division of Marine Fisheries Management staff will also present reports on federal fishery management actions and will review federal fishery management tools such as catch shares.

Regarding boating issues, FWC staff will present proposed amendments to enhance safety. The amendments would create slow-speed, minimum-wake zones in specific areas of Monroe and Volusia counties.

On Thursday, Feb. 9, the Commission will recognize FWC Officer of the Year Duane North, who works in Volusia County. North will also be honored by Shikar-Safari at the meeting.

After that, Commissioners will discuss the FWC’s plan to manage and conserve Florida black bears for future generations, now that the state’s bear population has increased from as few as 300 in the 1970s to an estimated 3,000 today. The draft Florida Black Bear Management Plan was released on Nov. 10, 2011, and is available online at MyFWC.com/Bear. Members of the public and stakeholder organizations have contributed more than 2,500 comments and suggestions on how to improve the draft bear management plan.

No final action on the draft, or proposed bear conservation measures, will be taken at this meeting. However, staff will seek approval to advertise a proposed draft rule that would prohibit the take of black bears unless authorized by Commission permit and direct staff to provide technical assistance to landowners and regulatory agencies in order to minimize or avoid negative impacts to bears. A separate proposed amendment would remove the black bear from the list of state-designated Threatened Species. 

Anyone requiring special accommodations to participate in the meeting should advise the FWC at least five days prior to the Feb. 7 meeting by contacting the FWC's Office of Human Resources at 850-488-6411. If you are hearing- or speech-impaired, contact the FWC using the Florida Relay Service at 800-955-8771 (TDD) or 800-955-8770 (voice).

To see the full agenda, go to MyFWC.com/Commission.

Changes affecting red drum include:

• The creation of three management zones (see map) for red drum instead of one statewide management area. The areas represent the northwest, northeast and southern sections of the state’s waters;

• Increasing from one to two the number of red drum that a recreational fisherman can take per day in the Northeast and Northwest zones;
• Establishing a statewide vessel limit of eight red drum;
• Limiting the number of red drum that can be transported in a vehicle on land to six red drum per person.

Changes affecting spotted seatrout include:

• Redefining the areas where spotted seatrout are managed by splitting the state into four management zones instead of three (see map);

• The recreational season will be open year-round statewide (this includes the removal of the February closure in northern Florida, and the November-through-December closure in southern Florida);
• Raising the recreational bag limit in Northeast Florida from five to six;
• Changing commercial seasons based on region – lengthening them from three months to five months in the Northwest and Southwest zones (June 1 - Oct. 31 for both) and in the Southeast region (May 1 - Sept. 30), and from three months to six months in the Northeast zone (June 1 - Nov. 30);
• Allowing spotted seatrout to be sold 30 days after the close of the regional commercial season with the proper paperwork;
• Changing the commercial vessel limit to 150 when there are two commercially licensed fishermen aboard.

Both species’ rule changes are the result of a successful management strategy.

“This is our version of having a listed, protected species and being able to take it off that list. This is a success story,” said Commissioner Brian Yablonski about the increased recreational fishing opportunities.

Other recreational red drum and spotted seatrout rules will remain the same.

To learn more about red drum and spotted seatrout recreational fishing, visit MyFWC.com/Fishing and click on “Saltwater Fishing” and then “Recreational Regulations.”