Manatee Refuge

Birthday Visit to Blue Springs State Park

Manatee Refuge
by Chanda Singleton Griesë

On my birthday in 2022, we donned our hats,
jackets, and required face coverings—
in Blue Springs, we witnessed
wintering manatees gathering.

Last time I’d visited this quiet place,
my daughter became a participant
in the project to count the manatees— 
her picture posted in a magazine.

This year proved to be the best
yet for these refugees—
a record count for posterity—
a whopping 663.

One could tell them apart by their markings
ripped into their flesh by razor-sharp propellers
as they slowly passed under the ships’ bellies—
not fast enough to avoid injury.

Sea cows survive on waving sea grasses
but lately their food source is a scarcity—
fertilizer run-off causing a bloom of algae
cut off sunlight from the grasses below.

These cows didn’t know their life was in danger
huddled together in the springs for warmth
accepting the offerings of romaine lettuce from
park staff who noticed their grass was gone.

One watchful ranger, the sea cow shepherd who
glided around them in a canoe, counted their brethren
marking the moment the herd was safe—
mamas and their babies in this aquatic pasture.

*My daughter was featured in the Clubhouse Jr. magazine article, “Counting Manatees” by Debra Burton