We request $146.470.95 to continue partial (50%) support for our two existing full-time manatee stranding response positions and initiate full support (100%) for an additional part-time (27 hours)…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service, through the Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program (CFDA 15.683), awarded $243,719.96 to the Lowry Park Zoological Society of Tampa, Inc. (ZooTampa at Lowry Park) to support manatee conservation and rescue efforts in Florida. The grant will provide partial (50%) funding for two existing full-time manatee stranding response positions and fully fund (100%) an additional part-time (27 hour) position for two years from August 1, 2024 to July 31, 2026. The additional personnel, along with the acquisition of a field response vehicle and boat, will enhance ZooTampa's capacity to support Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's manatee stranding operations. The grant will also fund the completion of two new critical care pools at ZooTampa's David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Critical Care Center, increasing the organization's intake and rehabilitation capabilities.

We request $146.470.95 to continue partial (50%) support for our two existing full-time manatee stranding response positions and initiate full support (100%) for an additional part-time (27 hours) position for two years (8 1 24-7 31 26). The three positions, along with expansion of our critical care facilities and the acquisition of a field response vehicle and JON boat will significantly increase our ability to support fwcs manatee stranding operations throughout florida and outside the state, as needed. In 2023, we secured funding from the florida legislature to acquire an additional field response vehicle and JON boat to enhance our ability to assist with rescue operations, transports verifications, and carcass recoveries. We also received $3.17 million from the state through FWC to construct two new medical pools and enhance the main life support system (LSS) for our david a. Straz, JR. Manatee critical care center (center). We will complete the new pools by late 2024, for a total of five critical care pools. The proposed part-time position and the new critical care pools, field response vehicle and JON boat will enhance our response capability in terms of time, level, and types of service to FWC in the field. When the team is not in the field, they will support manatee critical and rehabilitative care at the center. An additional part-time position is necessary as each response requires at least two people, two stranding team members or one team member and a volunteer. As manatee strandings can occur at any time, fwcs requests sometimes come when one or both team members are off duty, or a volunteer is not available to accompany the one team member that is on duty. The addition of the 27-hour position and the ongoing training of volunteers not only increases the absolute number of hours we can devote to FWC requests but will also allow US to stagger the teams work schedules to increase the span of time they are available. With our increased availability and enhanced support capabilities, we expect FWC requests to increase as well. Additionally, our capacity for intakes will increase with the completion of the two new critical care pools, requiring additional staff time for manatee care critical and rehabilitative care at the center, including program administration. Our stranding response team members are dually trained to support critical and rehabilitative care and field activities, maximizing our capacity to respond to fwcs varying priority activities. When not engaged in the field, the stranding response team assists with manatee care at the center, managing interns, program administrative requirements, and public engagement about the manatee program. The additional part-time position will also be dually trained to perform those supporting tasks.