Giving back to our community, the environment and protecting wildlife is our goal.

Everyday we are amazed at the amount of nature we have here, both on land and in our area waters. Any day on a quick boat ride around the bay, a camera can catch anything from otters, herons, bald eagles, alligators and of course, our fabulous manatees which stay year round.

With the areas growing population and popularity, comes the inevitable.... trash.  Whether disposed of on purpose or it escapes by accident, it ends up in our bay and waterways. Area birds get rescued quite often from entanglements and many die from ingesting fishhooks discarded with old bait. 

Our area manatees, the jewel of the county, also suffer.  Discarded fishing line, plastic bags (especially ice bags -also deadly to boat engines !!), old ropes, old deteriorating styrofoam docks, old crab trap lines and cages. Any of these things can lead to injury or worse, death. 

Mike and I work very hard to help our Crystal River Refuge anyway we can. From lending a hand to rescue an injured manatee, spotting a sick one or helping with the yearly refuge events. Some of these events can even be seen on our local cable show, Florida TV Productions, owned and operated by Jeff Hall. Visit his web site:

One of our area kayak companies, Nature Coast Kayak Tours, owned and operated by Tracy Colson, has monthly bay cleanups when the sanctuaries are removed, to clean up all the debris and trash that has gathered there through the manatee season. These clean ups are a great way to meet new people, get some exercise and enjoy the surrounding wildlife while giving back to the environment by taking away harmful and unsitely trash littering our shorelines.

We have also contributed and helped in the last effort to save Three Sisters Springs. This little piece of paradise must be saved. We urge all to give what you can, nothing is too small. We need to save what I have named "the Citrus County Caribbean," for future generations to enjoy. Along this journey, we have met some key people too!

One last word. When boating in our waterways and bay, please pay attention to the signs and sanctuaries. Slow down so you can see the abundance of nature. Wear polarized sunglasses so you can spot a sleeping, eating or resting manatee and avoid hitting it. Be courteous to all water vehicles and most of all, be safe.

Please enjoy our memories.

For more info on boating, manatees and our area nature go to:

Chassachowitzka National Wildlife Refuge: http://chassahowitzka.fws.gov
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission: Manatee Viewing Guidelines: http://myfwc.com/manatee/information/guide.htm
Adventure Outpost: www.advenureoutpost.net

And to save our precious manatees and read about Three Sisters Springs, go to:

Save the Manatee Club: https://www.savethemanatee.org
Save Three Sisters: https://www.savethemanatee.org/three_sisters/savethreesisters.html