Prosecuting a manatee killer
On Wednesday something rare happened in an Orlando federal courtroom: a boater was sentenced for killing a manatee. The defendant, Joseph Miata Jr. of Merritt Island, was a "habitual, severe offender" of the slow-speed zones set up around his area to protect manatees, according to federal wildlife officers. To make ...
A jaw-dropping record death toll -- from the cold
The scientists at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute just released the total number of manatees that died in 2010 -- and it's a jaw-dropping 767. The previous record, set in 2009, was 429. That year a record 97 were killed by boaters. But that's not what happened in ...
"Manatee Insanity" now "essential" for Floridians
This is big. The Florida Humanities Council has added "Manatee Insanity" to its list of essential Florida books. These are the books that, the council says, every Floridian should be familiar with. The council said "Manatee Insanity" belongs on this list because, "In microcosm, the saga reflects the decades-long struggle ...
Reviewer raves about "Manatee Insanity"
"Manatee Insanity" is a "lively account" of a "a complex story" about how law, politics and science have intersected in the debate over protecting manatees, according to the first newspaper review of the book, published today in the St. Petersburg Times. The reviewer, Gregory McNamee, calls the book a "fine ...
Check out the Manatee Insanity Facebook page
Hey, if you're interested in seeing photos and videos that didn't make it into the book and getting personal alerts when there are events related to "Manatee Insanity," then check out our Facebook fan page! It's right here.
Read an excerpt from "Manatee Insanity"
Florida's best business magazine, "Florida Trend," has published an excerpt from "Manatee Insanity." It's from a chapter about the problems with enforcing the laws that are supposed to protect manatees, and about the only case since the Endangered Species Act was passed in which someone went to jail for killing ...
Manatee Insanity now available
"Manatee Insanity: Inside the War Over Florida's Most Famous Endangered Species" is now available in bookstores and online. Daryl Domning of the Smithsonian Institution calls it ""the best available, most factual account of the decades-long struggle to protect the Florida manatee, skillfully told by a veteran journalist who has followed ...
