Manatee Conservation in Georgia

Introduction

West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) live in marine, brackish, and freshwater systems in coastal and riverine areas through their range. Habitats in Georgia include nearshore ocean waters, tidal creeks, estuaries, and the lower reaches of the St. Mary’s, Satilla, Altamaha, Ogeechee, and Savannah Rivers. They feed along salt marsh salt marsh
Salt marshes are found in tidal areas near the coast, where freshwater mixes with saltwater.

Learn more about salt marsh margins with access to deep water channels, where they flee when threatened.

During the summer, manatees expand their range, and on rare occasions are seen as far north as Massachusetts on the Atlantic coast and as far west as Texas on the Gulf coast. Manatees may travel hundreds of miles during a year’s time, preferring to travel along channels and shorelines. Manatees are most frequently sighted in Georgia waters from April through October in tidal waters of Camden, Glynn, and McIntosh counties.

However, they cannot tolerate temperatures below 68 degrees Fahrenheit for extended periods of time, and during the winter months, these cold temperatures keep the population concentrated in peninsular Florida. Many manatees rely on the warm water from power plant outfalls to extend their time in Georgia as the temperatures begin to drop.

Manatee Determination Keys

Projects in Georgia that are permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District are reviewed for potential impacts to the West Indian Manatee using the Effects Determination Guidance for Endangered and Threatened Species (EDGES). This guidance is based on a programmatic agreement between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Georgia Ecological Services Field Office. The EDGES guidance are publicly available on our website. A Determination Key will soon be available on the Information for Planning and Consultation ( IPaC IPaC
Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) is a project planning tool that streamlines the USFWS environmental review process

Learn more about IPaC ) system for project managers to use.

Special Permit Conditions for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Projects

The Special Permit Conditions for the West Indian Manatee apply to to the construction, modification, maintenance and use of single and multi-family private recreational docks (conditions A through J) and private community docks and commercial marinas (conditions A through P). Although the Special Permit Conditions were written primarily with dock and marina projects in mind, they can be appropriate for other types of projects that are permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District.

A. The permittee shall ensure that all personnel associated with construction of the authorized dock facility are informed of the civil and criminal penalties for harming, harassing or killing manatees, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The permittee and the permittee's contractor(s) will be held responsible for any manatee harmed, harassed or killed as a result of construction activities.

B. The use of siltation barriers in waters of the United States, below the high tide line, is not allowed in association with the construction of the authorized dock facility.

C. All vessels associated with project construction shall operate at "no wake/idle" speeds at all times while in the project area. All vessels will follow routes of deep water when entering or exiting the project area, and while operating in the project area, whenever possible. For the purposes of compliance with manatee conditions, the project area is defined as all areas of shoreline, marsh and open waters within 100 feet of the outermost perimeter of the authorized dock facility.

D. All contractors and other on-site personnel are responsible for observing for the presence of manatees in or near the project area. All in-water construction activities shall cease upon sighting of a manatee within 50 feet of any ongoing work in the marsh or open waters. Activities will not resume until the manatee(s) has moved beyond the 50-foot radius of the project operation, or until 30 minutes elapses if the manatee(s) has not reappeared within 50 feet of the operation. Animals must not be herded away or harassed into leaving.

E. Extreme care shall be taken when lowering equipment and materials below the water surface and/or to the water bottom. Equipment and materials include, but are not limited to: piles; sheet piles; casings for drilled shaft construction; spuds; pile templates; and anchors. All such equipment/material shall be lowered as slow as possible, to avoid injury to any manatee that may have entered the project area undetected.

F. In the event of injury to or mortality of a manatee in the project area, the permittee or contractor shall immediately notify the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (Georgia DNR) at 912-264 -7218, or 1-800-272-8363 (weekdays between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), or 1-800-241-4113 (nights and weekends). Within one hour of a manatee injury or mortality the permittee or contractor shall notify the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) at 1-800-448-2402 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Georgia Ecological Services Field Office at GAES_Assistance@FWS.gov. Any dead manatee found in the project area shall be secured to a stable object to prevent the carcass from moving with the current. In the event of a manatee injury or mortality, all open water construction activity shall cease pending completion of consultation between the Corps and FWS, pursuant to Section 7 of the ESA.

G. The permittee shall ensure that the contractor keeps a log of sightings, collisions or injury to manatees that occur during construction of the dock facility.

H. Within 30 days of project completion, the permittee shall submit a report summarizing manatee sightings or incidents that occurred during project construction, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at GAES_Assistance@FWS.gov or 4980 Wildlife Drive NE, Townsend, Georgia 31331. Submission of a negative report is not required.

I. All temporary or unused construction materials shall be removed from the project area upon completion of the work, and any impacted area of salt marsh shall be restored. No construction debris or trash is to be discarded in project area.

J. The permittee shall regularly inspect and maintain all hoses, faucets, and other potential sources of freshwater, to ensure that any freshwater leak is stopped and immediately repaired. Manatees are attracted to freshwater leaking from dock facilities, where boats are concentrated and there is an increased risk for manatee collisions.

K. Prior to initiating authorized construction activities, the permittee shall contact Georgia DNR at 912-264-7218 for assistance with development of temporary manatee awareness sign plan for the project area. The plan will include the types and number of signs; and locations where signs will be installed to be prominently visible to contractors entering the project area from uplands and from the water. The permittee shall install temporary manatee awareness signs in accordance with the Georgia DNR approved plan. See attached Appendix A for information about the size and appearance of temporary manatee awareness signs. Within 30 days of project completion, the permittee shall remove all temporary manatee signs.

L. Once construction activities are completed, and prior to use of the facility, the permittee shall contact Georgia DNR at 912-264-7218 for assistance with development of permanent manatee awareness sign plan. The plan will include the types and number of signs; and locations where signs will be installed to be prominently visible to all facility users entering the project area from uplands and from the water. The permittee shall install permanent manatee awareness signs in accordance with the Georgia DNR approved plan. See attached Appendix A for information about the size and appearance of permanent manatee awareness signs.

M. Within 30 days of installation, the permittee shall submit a notarized letter to the Corps confirming that required permanent manatee signs have been installed in compliance with the Georgia DNR approved plan. The permittee shall maintain all permanent manatee signs in a clearly visible condition for the life of the facility.

N. The permittee shall utilize the Georgia DNR video "Georgia Wildlife - Sharing the Coast - Manatee" as a manatee education awareness program. This video program focuses on educating boaters on manatee biology, how watercraft can adversely affect the manatee, and detail actions that boaters can take to avoid impacts to the manatee. The permittee shall insure that all boat operators view this video before using the permitted facility. The permittee shall continue a manatee education awareness program for the life of the facility. The permittee may develop and use a comparable manatee education awareness program upon approval by the Corps, FWS, and Georgia DNR.

O. After project completion, the permittee shall identify the individual, facility operator or homeowner's association representative to be responsible for reporting manatee sightings, boat strikes or other manatee concerns to the FWS and Georgia DNR.

P. For facilities with oil/gas pumps and/or sewage pump-out equipment, the permittee shall develop and maintain spill contingency plans in accordance with the requirements of the Georgia DNR, Coastal Resources Division.

Guidance on Educational Signs

Permittees are required to post educational signs to offset adverse impacts to manatees associated with in-water construction work and increased boat traffic. Signs must be large enough and placed in areas for maximum visibility to personnel and visitors. They should be constructed with durable materials. They should be updated when faded, damaged, or outdated. Appendix A of the EDGES Guidance for the West Indian Manatee provides specifications on sign content, placement, and potential vendors. Please note that this list is not regularly updated. It is the responsibility of the permittee to obtain all appropriate temporary and permanent signs for a site.