Save the Manatee Club

Save the Manatee Club was founded in 1981 by former Florida Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham, and singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The Club was started so the public could participate in conservation efforts to protect manatees and their aquatic habitat for future generations. Today, Save the Manatee Club is recognized as the world''s leading manatee conservation organization. Its primary source of funding is the Adopt-A-Manatee program, which began in 1984. The Club has over 40,000 members in the United States and abroad. The Club encourages member participation in a variety of ways: through grass roots advocacy efforts, a volunteer speaker''s bureau, staffing festivals and event display booths, participating in a manatee sighting network, and attending policy-making meetings and hearings. In order to fulfill its mission, Save the Manatee Club raises public awareness, promotes education and volunteer activities, participates in international conservation and education efforts, sponsors research, rescue, rehabilitation, and release efforts, supports land acquisition, advocates for strong and effective manatee and habitat protection measures, and takes legal action when appropriate.

www.savethemanatee.org