Friends of Manatee Lagoon

Community Outreach & Education Programs- Educating the community about the challenges manatees encounter in Florida and raising funds and awareness that offer life-changing opportunities to learn about protecting manatees and marine life conservation. Connecting with and engaging members of a community in order to build relationships to support our mission. We fulfill our mission by hosting a series of educational events at Manatee Lagoon. 1.Conservation & Coffee-2nd Annual Breakfast event in partnership with Everglades Foundation. Conservation experts speaking about the state of the environment. 2.Citizen Science Prg.-opens up the conversation about marine debris & helps to improve our understanding of water and debris in our waterways. 3. Visaualizing Climate Disruption Event in partnerhip with Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, hosting visual arts exhibit featuring local artists.

Marine Conservation Efforts: Marine conservation efforts help to build a sense of community by bringing people together to work towards a common goal. When people come together to protect manatees and their their habitats, it creates a sense of ownership and responsibility that can lead to positive change. Creating, planning, and executing marine conservation experiences for the community to take part in i.e., Drift card releases, Seagrass restoration projects; seagrass matting sessions.

A Day in the LIFE of a Manatee Exhibit - Raising awareness of our mission through the development and creation of environmental exhibits is a priority.The creation and development of these exhibits best convey the need for the community to become environmentally conscious of manatees habitat and what they can do help preserve it. On-going creation and development of the following exhibits aligns with our mission to educate the public on the challenges manatees face in Florida and why this is important to all of us Prepartion for the newest laun in 2024 to include a 5 minute animation film, projection mapping equipment to create an immersive experience, painted wall murals that align with the animation theme and artistically designed (includes ADA) benches.

Volunteer Program:Inviting members of the community to be involved in the protection and preservation of manatees and their habitat by providing their time, talent and energy. Building relationships in the community which helps us be more effective in our outreach. Program includes a volunteer coordinator (unpaid) who who has been instrumental in recruiting, training, supervising, and thanking volunteers. Community members volunteering at the guest information desk are engaging visitors to Manatee Lagoon by answering their questions about Manatee habitats, their food sources, and other important questions.