The Fish and Wildlife Service has stirred up students, letter-signers and salaried advocates alike with its proposal to double the size of the threatened Florida manatee’s designated critical habitat to more than 1.9 million acres.
The federal agency reeled in more than 31,000 opinions during a comment period originally intended to expire Nov. 25. The number will now grow, possibly by a lot, as the Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the deadline until Jan. 24 as a benefit to Florida residents hindered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“Without more time, many of the communities, stakeholders, and experts who have essential knowledge of the ecology, status, and needs of Florida manatees will not be able to provide fully considered input,” Defenders of Wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity and Save the Manatee Club explained in their request for more time.
In addition to expanding the Florida manatee’s critical habitat to 1,904,191 acres, up from the current 965,394 acres, the Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to designate 78,121 acres as critical habitat for the Antillean manatee in Puerto Rico.
