How are manatees counted at Blue Spring during each manatee season?
Since 1978, Blue Spring State Park biologists have tracked individual manatees’ occurrence within the spring run. Daily surveys are performed during the manatee seasons from the confluence of the spring run with the St. Johns River to the spring boil. Surveys are usually conducted in the morning, when the manatees are in greatest attendance. The field observation sheet for recording manatee data divides the spring run into 22 zones, based on landmarks located along the bank. The biologists record the locations of individual manatees within the 22 spring run zones on the field datasheets as they paddle a canoe upstream. River and spring run water temperatures and the location of the dark water intrusion are also recorded. This information is then entered into computer files for future data analysis.
