MANATEE ABOUT TOWN

The endangered sea mammal appears to approve of the improved quality of the water in Lake Pontchartrain

Saturday, August 06, 2005

By Leslie Williams
Times-Picayune

On the "bragging board" at Glockner's Place Bayou Cafe, along a dirt and gravel road not far from where Bayou Lacombe empties into Lake Pontchartrain, a fading snapshot of an endangered manatee spotted nearby shares space with other memorable photos of what remains wild about the 634-square-mile lake.

Sightings of the docile and meandering mammals grazing in the once-polluted lake and branching bayous remain uncommon. In the past decade, as the lake has become cleaner, only a few of the endangered animals have been sighted each summer.

"Rarely do you hear about more than four or five in Lake Pontchartrain," said Jim Valade, manatee recovery leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

But that is changing.

In late July, 20 to 30 manatees were sighted in the lake from the air, authorities said. The Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation estimates that 100 or more manatees could be in the lake, but others have questioned that estimate.

These days, "they're finding Lake Pontchartrain to their liking," Valade said. "It says an awful lot about the quality of Lake Pontchartrain."

With the increase in the manatee population, Valade urges precautions from boaters on the lake and people along the shore. Boat propellers account for at least a quarter of manatee deaths. And harassing them is against federal law.

Valade said he is "99 percent" certain the manatees are from Florida, part of the population in the Crystal River area on the west coast of the state, north of Tampa. There's a "remote possibility" some are from Mexico, he said.

"Some range farther than others, exploring, looking for new opportunities for food," he said. The mammals are expected to return home when the first cool front passes through in September or October.

The sea cows graze on lake grasses and look for fresh water to drink along the shoreline and connecting streams and bayous.

The plants manatees eat, including ruppia and vallisneria, have been returning since shell dredging in the lake was stopped in 1993, said Martin O'Connell, an assistant professor of environmental sciences at the University of New Orleans. At high tide, the mammals may feed on grasses along the shoreline, O'Connell said.

"We'll have a better idea by the end of the summer about the size of the manatee population in the lake," which may be higher, he said.

Near the lake's shoreline just east of Bayou Lacombe on the north shore, Ron Glockner and his 10-year-old son, James, spotted a manatee while fishing last weekend, as their boat drifted in the wind.

"It was behind the boat," said Glockner, who noticed the animal when he heard it exhale. "At first I thought it was an otter, but then I realized it was so much bigger."

Glockner said he merely watched the sea cow as it swam away.

That's behavior that delights Carlton Dufrechou, executive director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, which is credited with leading the effort to clean up the lake.

Dufrechou urges boaters and others to follow one simple rule while the manatees are in the lake drinking fresh water, eating grass, wallowing in the lake's warm water, exploring the terrain and perhaps mating: "Leave them alone."

During a flight over the lake July 21, Dufrechou said he counted about 30 manatees. He said he's reluctant to share information about the manatees' increasing presence but understands that without information, the public cannot help protect them.

"We need to protect them," he said.

More than a week ago, two dead manatees washed ashore near Shelter No. 2 about 1 ½ miles from Pontchartrain Beach, Dufrechou said.

The bodies were disposed of before authorities had an opportunity to determine the cause of death, he said. Steps have been taken so it's unlikely other manatee carcasses will be destroyed before they're examined, Dufrechou said.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife records, manatees began reappearing in Lake Pontchartrain in May 1995. The current population in U.S. waters -- the largest in the world -- is more than 3,000. But human contact has a damaging effect. Most deaths are directly related to human contact or encroachment, scientists say.

The presence of a person may disrupt the natural activities of manatees, their drinking, mating, playing and feeding. A malnourished manatee will be less adept at avoiding a speeding boat. Frightening a mother and its calf could lead to their separation, causing the calf to die. If a person interrupts a female in heat being pursued by several males, the result could be fewer births of calves, Valade said.

"The biggest problem is being struck by boats," Valade said. "If you see one while in a boat, immediately get the propeller out of the water."

Commercial boats are a concern as well, with the shrimping season scheduled to start in a couple of weeks, Dufrechou said.

Nets could trap the manatees because they lack hatches to allow the large animals -- which as adults are about 10 feet long and weigh 350 to 540 pounds -- to escape. If the manatees are treated well, they'll come back, Dufrechou said.

"Watch them. Appreciate them. Don't disturb them," he said.

The "unprecedented" number of manatees creates "an intriguing possibility," Valade said.

One or more of the female manatees, which have a gestation period of 13 months, could be pregnant and give birth in Lake Pontchartrain, he said. If that happens, the calves likely will be imprinted on the area and return to the waters of their birth.

Anyone who sees a manatee in Lake Pontchartrain is asked to report the sighting to the foundation at (504) 836-2215.