Manatees make themselves seen

Manatee sightings have been plentiful lately, offering boaters and beach-goers something akin to The Discovery Channel — only live.

You usually think of winter cold fronts as the time to see sea cows because they concentrate in warm-water places such as the Florida Power & Light outflow off Palm Beach Boulevard at Manatee Park. But these hot summer days and thoroughly warm bodies of water — the Gulf is hovering around 85 degrees — means you can find the curious gray mammals about anywhere there is sea grass for them to chow on.

On a recent boat trip to North Captiva’s Safety Harbor, we came upon a herd of a half dozen, including several obviously young ones. If you cut your engine and drift, often manatees will poke their noses up boatside to check you out, offering Kodak moments galore.

With waterways like this, who needs a trip to Sea World?

In other outdoors news:

Manatees such as this youngster have been sighted frequently in Pine Island Sound. BRITTANY WALLMAN / COURTESY PHOTO .. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering changes to redfish regulations. The agency may boost the daily bag limit from one to two fish in the northwest part of the state and it may alter some red drum rules in southeastern Florida, too.

It doesn’t look like anything will change for us here, but reds are a coveted and tasty gamefish, so it’s worth noting what’s happening elsewhere.

The closest of the FWC’s six fall public workshops to garner input is in St. Petersburg on Nov. 30. But you can check out information online at www.MyFWC.com and provide written comment via e-mail to marine@myfwc.com.

.. Volunteers are needed for the third annual Punta Gorda Hook Kids on Fishing program, set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25.

If you have fishing know-how or teaching skills, Capt. Rodney Smith needs you. The idea is to engage kids and their parents by getting rid of fishing frustration and teaching them how to, essentially, fish better.

The event is at the Fishermen’s Village Waterfront Mall, Resort & Marina, 1200 W. Retta Esplanade, Punta Gorda. Volunteers are needed to assist with registration, event set-up, fundraising, teaching kids to cast, fishing techniques, habitat restoration, conservation, fishing safety, knot tying and catch and release tactics.

Get details from Capt. Smith at rodney@ coastalanglermagazine.com.

.. Closer to home, you can volunteer this weekend on Saturday, Sept. 4, at Randell Research Center’s Calusa Heritage Trail in Pineland.

If you haven’t ever visited this enchanting site, use this as your excuse. Not only do Smithsonian-like signs guide you through the lives of the native people, but also the plants and shell mounds are phenomenal, and the view of Pine Island Sound is breathtaking.

From 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers can mulch beds, help with trail maintenance and spruce up the classroom building. In return, organizer Cindy Bear is offering refreshments and a discount in the very tiny but exceptionally cool bookstore on site.

Sign up by calling Ms. Bear at 283-2157.

.. More than 100 volunteers counted 335 bay scallops last Saturday, Aug. 28, during the first-ever Pine Island Scallop Search hosted by University of Florida Sea Grant, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Pineland Marina and others.

You can’t harvest scallops south of the Pasco-Hernando county line, which is north of Tampa. So scientists enlisted volunteer help to gather data on where the blueeyed mollusks are in these parts.

The count seemed high — Tampa volunteers only found 32; Charlotte’s people counted 163 — but it is only a one-year snapshot. Volunteers, myself included, had so much fun pitching in, we’re already looking forward to helping enhance the snapshot at the 2011 count. If you want more information, contact Lee County Sea Grant agent Joy Hazell at hazellje@leegov.com.

.. Kayakers and canoeists who like a beach-like atmosphere and exploring Estero Bay have an improved place to launch.

Lee County Parks & Recreation installed a kayak ramp mat on the west side of Bonita Beach Road at what some locals call Squaw Creek, which is across the street from the you-can-see-it-formiles water tower.

Paddlers like this site for fishing and access to the beach on Big Hickory Island Preserve. If you need help finding the spot, call parks staffers Joe Debacker or Roger Clark at 533-7275. 

— Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation’s waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@ yahoo.com