Additional protection for the Crystal River area was 

 provided by the acquisition of 14 islands in King's Bay by 

 the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. The December 

 1981 announcement of the Conservancy's intention to purchase 

 the islands was followed by a $425,000 fund-raising campaign 

 initiated in February 1982. Without such action, existing 

 zoning and permitting standards would have allowed for the 

 construction of more than 50 single-family homes on the 14 

 islands, with a resulting adverse impact on the manatee 

 habitat. Prevention of such development in the Crystal 

 River area has been a priority goal of Florida conservationists 

 for a number of years. Acquisition was completed in December 

 1982. 



Further encouragement was provided in 1982 by the 

 increasingly effective role played by the Florida Department 

 of Natural Resources' Manatee Technical Advisory Council. 

 The Council, established in 1980 with the assistance of the 

 Marine Mammal Commission, proved in 1982 to be an effective 

 forum for the definition of problems and the coordination of 

 State, Federal, and private activities to address them. Its 

 periodic meetings provided an opportunity for State and 

 Federal officials, scientists, enforcement personnel, conser- 

 vationists, and interested members of the public to work 

 together on the many issues affecting manatees. 



The Commission's substantial efforts over the past 

 years to encourage the protection and recovery of the West 

 Indian manatee are discussed in detail in past Annual Reports. 

 Among the many projects partially supported by the Commission 

 was the Fish and Wildlife Service's initial effort to develop 

 a comprehensive research and management plan for the manatee 

 population of the Crystal River area. In October and November 



1981, portions of a draft plan were submitted to the Commission 

 for review and, on 12 November 1981, the Commission commented 

 to the Service that the plan needed further work, particularly 

 with regard to format and organization, and enclosed a 

 suggested outline for a revised plan. 



On 26 April 1982, the Commission received a copy of the 

 report submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Service in which 

 the research and management plan for the Crystal River 

 population of manatees was set forth. By letter of 6 May 



1982, the Commission advised the Service that it had 

 reviewed the report and concluded, among other things, that: 



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