Online Lecture: Florida’s Gentle Giants — Protecting Manatees Above & Below

Join us this Manatee Awareness Month for a program delivered from atop the 150,000-gallon manatee habitat at the new Mote Science Education Aquarium. Jason Robertshaw, certified Florida Master Naturalist and Program Manager at Mote Marine Laboratory, will share more than 30 years of groundbreaking manatee research, exploring how scientists use aerial surveys, drones and photo-identification to track populations, monitor migration patterns and identify critical habitats. Learn how researchers catalog individual manatees by their unique scars and markings, creating decades-long records that help shape state and federal conservation efforts. At a critical time for the species, you’ll gain insight into the threats manatees face — including seagrass loss, harmful algal blooms, cold stress and human impact — and how science is guiding conservation efforts. This lecture offers a compelling look at how data and discovery come together to protect one of Florida’s most iconic animals.

Your online lecture will take place live over the course of 1-2 hours. All times are listed in the EASTERN time zone. If you live in a different time zone, please adjust your schedule accordingly. This live online experience uses Zoom Webinar, an easy-to-use web video service that includes closed captioning. All you need is an Internet connection and your computer. You will receive a confirmation email when you enroll, and a reminder email one week and one day before, as well as the morning of the event with a link and instructions on how to tune in. You will not be pictured on screen during the lecture, but you will have the opportunity to ask the instructor live questions using the Q&A box. Unless otherwise noted, all those who enroll in this program receive access to the live event as well as a recording of the lecture that you can watch any time within the two weeks following the live event.