OVERVIEW SPECIES METHODS DATA MAPPING LOCATION HIGHLIGHTS Protection of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), an endangered species, requires an understanding of the principle human-related mortality factor: collisions with watercraft which accounts for approximately 25 percent of manatee mortality in Florida annually. Part of this understanding involves examining what motivates boater decisions. This spatial demographic model attempts to characterize boaters in Tampa Bay, Florida by addressing four basic questions: (1) What do boaters intend to do? (2) What do they actually do? (3) What do they say they do? (4) What does a theoretical model predict they will do? Implications of these results, in reference to manatee protection planning and coastal decision making, are discussed and described in this poster. The Florida manatee lives in shallow water coastal regions throughout the state of Florida. Boater’s frequent the shallow coastal waters of Florida, thus the risk of collision.  Four data sets were used in this characterization: (1) Vessel contact data—vessel sighting data describing vessel attributes, time and location (2) Boat ramp survey data — Similar to (1) including attitudinal and manatee sighting data (3) Random stratified phone interview data (4) US Census demographic data Over 16000 unique vessels were recorded over 3 years. Approximately 80 percent of the vessels originated from counties adjacent to Tampa Bay. Geographic Information System (GIS) tools were employed to create thematic maps illustrating certain spatial characteristics of the observed sample of boaters from the two comparison sites, Maximo and Gandy. GIVING SPACE TO INFORMATION—Registered addresses of observed boat owners were geo-coded. A distinctive north-south St. Petersburg distribution is evident The largest percentage of Maximo boaters is centralized in the south, and a large percentage of the Gandy boaters reside in the north. GANDY GANDY MAXIMO MAXIMO THEMATIC MAPPING—Once the observed vessel-owner data is in a spatial format, various thematic methods can be used to display the data. Below are some examples of how the vessel-owner spatial data can be viewed. Relative values can also be calculated using census population values. LOCATION HIGHLIGHTS Preliminary observed differences between Gandy and Maximo study sites: GANDY—Destination for pleasure activities Vessels travel from greater distances, more often Higher frequency of personal watercraft Alcoholic beverages permitted on site Refreshment stands on site EFFECTS OF REGULATION Preliminary effects of new county boating speed zone regulations at Gandy appear to be changing the frequent user profile Preliminary observations show less overall resultant vessel traffic—specifically less personal water craft MAXIMO—Transit area relative to Gandy Higher frequency of overall area use Lower frequency of pleasure activity Higher frequency of large vessels Encompassed by two near-by marinas Closer proximity to Gulf of Mexico EFFECTS OF EDUCATION Preliminary results show education efforts have had little or no effect on general boating patterns at Maximo. GANDY MAXIMO DATA MODELING HUMAN ELEMENT ACTION RECONSTRUCTION—GIS tools were used to recreate the estimated least-cost, minimum-distance travel paths of observed boaters who owned docks. This exercise produced distance values for each of the estimated travel routes. The results from this exercise can be used to calculate travel times and additional, otherwise unavailable, theoretical values describing the boaters’ trips. OBSERVATIONS OBSERVERS OBSERVED Boating and fishing are ingrained in the Florida way of life. With slightly less than 2,800 miles of coast line, it is no wonder that there are currently more than 800,000 registered Florida vessels. As with other species on earth, human activity dictates the success or failure of Florida manatee populations. Human decision making patterns directly affect the safety of manatees in the wild. Land development, waterway regulations, and public awareness are all issues that directly relate to manatee conservation. The complexity of the human-manatee relationship is a challenge. MAPPING EXPECTATIONS At various boat ramps, Tampa BayWatch volunteers recorded boaters’ intended actions and destinations. The pre-boating trip information was then linked to the observation data for the same vessels traveling through Gandy or Maximo, and comparisons were made. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS All FWC Volunteers, interns, and employees who volunteered their time FWC Volunteer coordinators—Suzanne Tarr, Emily Argo, Kristin Fick, Kari Higgs, Katie Brill Tampa BayWatch Volunteer Coordinators—Tabitha Whalen, Kip Keolsch, ReAnna Montpelier Manatee Watch Volunteers—Many people from all walks of life gave their personal time and efforts to this project.