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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Crowds gather peering into the water for manatees
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Big Bend Power Station
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
A manatee swims lazily in the warm waters with its tracking beacon
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
A manatee statue accepts donations
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
A natural canopy leads to the 270 m viewing boardwalk
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
A black-tip shark swims last circles among the manatee and tarpon
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Noses breach the surface filling their lungs
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
The pool is roughly 60 cm deep. You can reach in and touch the rays with two fingers.
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Cabbage palms line part of the walkway leading to the observation tower
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Bring water with you for the walk to the tower, seen in the distance on the right.
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Perry and Cindy Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Left: 4000 linear ft of Southern pine timbers were brought in by barge to build the observation tower. Right: You could get a little vertigo looking up the centre of the spiral staircase.
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Signs mark the paddling trail through the mangrove swamp
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Newman Branch is a tidal creek bringing nutrients and oxygen into the swamp sustaining the flora and fauna
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
The boardwalk cuts straight, dry lines across the flat landscape of the swamp
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Perry Mack
How to find a wild Manatee, FL
Big Bend power station seen from the observation, watches from the horizon like a sentinel over the preserve.
Story & photos by Perry & Cindy Mack
Power plant and nature preserve - five words that don’t usually end a sentence that starts with, ‘I’m going to …’. Yet here we were, looking past the friendly statues of manatees at the Manatee Viewing Center while the rusting metal sprawl of a coal fired power plant loomed over us from across the canal.
I’ve been fishing and come home without fish. I’ve been to Manatee Viewing Centres and only seen them on posters. My expectations were not high. Signs along the boardwalk that extends 270 m (900 ft) into the bay describe the flora and fauna you could see along the boardwalk. Often these depictions of birds, fish, and mammals are the only images you get to see.
So you can imagine our surprise when we looked over the railing and immediately saw two manatees. Then dozens of metre-long fish, another five manatees, two sharks and a plethora of birds overhead. Knowledgeable, friendly hosts and docents scattered throughout the facility and along the boardwalk were happy to answer all our questions.
It is a nature preserve by happenstance. In 1968, Unit four of the Big Bend Power Station came on line, and when the waters of Tampa Bay fell below 20°C (68°F), people began to see manatees where the warm, clean salt water used to cool the plant flowed back into the discharge canal. Soon after, the Manatee Viewing Centre was born and the area became a federally and state legislated sanctuary for the manatees.
Winter months are the best time to visit this free facility, when, as described above, the temperature in the bay falls below 20°C (68°F). The centre is mobility accessible and has a number of displays including the butterfly gardens, concession, and a ray touch tank. The rays tend to stay towards the bottom of their tank as they glide silently in lazy circles, so anyone wearing a tank top will have the best chance of feeling their smooth skin without getting wet sleeves.
After a trip through the gift shop, we decide to take the self-guided tour along the 2.25 km (1.4 mi) walking trail out to the 15 m (50 ft) observation tower. The four-metre wide level trail is a combination of boardwalks and crushed seashells, making it a very easy walk. Along the trail are signs describing the plants you can see and the habitats you are accessing. From the very first look into the tangled mangrove swamp and you’ll realize this is almost the only way to see this environment easily. Picturing early explorers attempting to hack their way through this swampy jungle makes encourages you to take a long sip from your icy water bottle and continue happily along the path where Cabbage Palms, Florida’s state tree, gracefully stand at attention, providing some shade to protect you along your journey.
The observation tower is an imposing structure that affords horizon-to-horizon views of Florida’s landscape, making it well worth the journey, but be aware that there are no restrooms, food or beverages at the tower. Attentive readers may have noticed that we remarked earlier the path was ‘almost’ the only way to see this environment. From the top of the tower you can see the creek that enters the estuary, which mark the paddling trail. With a kayak, you can paddle silently along Newman Branch tidal creek, peering into the shadows for wildlife among the nourishing mangroves.
The center is open from Nov 1 to April 15 and admission is free. Bring your camera, preferably with a good zoom lens to get incredible wildlife pictures, binoculars to see details, dress for the weather as everything worth seeing is outdoors, and if you plan to do the trail bring some water. Our winter February day was 25°C, which felt like 30°C in the sun.
www.tampaelectric.com/company/mvc/
Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center
Each winter, Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center provides lifesaving protection from the cold for hundreds of Florida manatees.