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to go back into the high speed zone and accept the DNR's original plan as a compromise, with the DNR agreeing that at some point outside the U.S.I bridge, we allow the speed to increase from there to the Intracoastal, but he still had some problem with the slow speed in the Sebastian River. He felt the Sebastian River is extremely wide at that point, and if we could work together and establish a fairly narrow channel in the center of that span between the U.S.I. bridge and the railroad bridge where we could allow 20 mph, he believed that the manatees are intelligent and would learn to stay out of it. He noted that there are 2 public boat ramps further up in the prong of the Sebastian River that have continued use, and the people who launch there want to get out to the river. Mr. Rose expressed his confusion as to just which area we are talking about now, and Chairman Eggert noted that, in other words, Commissioner Bird still wants to include Item 1 of the staff recommendation. Mr. Rose pointed out that this is not the final Manatee Protection Plan, and the reason we are dealing with a 3 year period is so that we can go far beyond saying just where you are going to regulate the boat speed; we need such things as marina siting plans, which includes where you locate your boat ramps, etc. He stressed that the DNR is sensitive to the fact that people want to launch in the Sebastian River, but they want to see boat ramps provided in other areas so they can locate the boaters closer to where they are going. Commissioner Wheeler commented that he has heard that manatees learn to avoid high traffic channels; so, if there was a narrow channel in a wide area, isn't it reasonable to feel they would avoid it? Mr. Rose noted that in some spots they have to come in together, and Commissioner Wheeler agreed that when you come to that bottleneck, then you need the slow speed, but he further pointed out that we are reducing the ski area and thereby Y L- 819909 BOOK b F,,�t 5