12/19/1989 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DEC 1Z BOOK 78 F.,rc there will be some improvement needed in the Indian River, possibly 20 mph rather than the broad brush effect of the slow speed now being proposed. He pointed out that in Brevard County they have site specific manatee slow speed zones where high concentrations of manatees exist as opposed to an overall slow speed zone for the entire county. Mr. Adams then commented that he believed the ski zone to the north that Mr. Wheeler is talking about is in the boundaries of the U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service's refuge, and they may have a problem with the ski zone proposed on the east side of the islands - anywhere east of the IntraCoastal Waterway and those islands falls under their jurisdiction. Commissioner Bowman agreed they wouldn't want people going on the islands but wasn't sure they would restrict the use of the water. Mr. Adams pointed out that we don't know that for sure and advised that they have closed an area up in the Banana River from any kind of usage - canoes or whatever - and possibly that could be done the same way in the refuge for Pelican Island. That is why we need the alternative of a ski area on the west shore and west of the spoil islands. Commissioner Bird wished to know if there is sufficient data available to indicate the area of the highest sightings of manatees as he felt those are the areas we should concentrate on rather than have broad brush slow speed from county line to county line. It was confirmed that we have this information, and Mr. Adams advised that one slow speed zone would be the Sebastian River area and out in front of the U.S.1 bridge; another, for instance, might be in the area of The Moorings. He stressed that the committee has had a lot of calls in regard to their reason for designating the entire river slow speed, and it was explained that it is a conceptual plan and this was just thrown out for comment. The reason the Committee did not ask for a channel 78