Laserfiche WebLink
SAY 8 1990 BOOK 80 MiGE 5_' 7 <br />increasing the potential for accidents. We have to have an <br />opportunity to recreate on the river, and he did agree that the <br />single most important thing is to have education and licensing. <br />Mr. Rose advised that there is a Bill alive in the House <br />side to do that. He, however, felt if there is any mistake the <br />Department is making now, it is erring in the favor of leaving <br />skiing area - they have left the most used ski areas. <br />Commissioner Scurlock felt we must get this in perspective. <br />We could have all men get on space ships and simply leave the <br />earth to the animals, but there must be a trade-off - we want to <br />use the river and be able to enjoy it and share it. He further <br />noted that as Darwin pointed out, species do come and go, and it <br />is a natural process not just man related. <br />Discussion ensued about the low manatee mortality in Indian <br />River County, and Commissioner Bird believed that actually there <br />were more manatees killed by the freeze this winter than by <br />boats. <br />Mr. Rose agreed that is true, but believed that only <br />accentuates the need to control the death that are man related. <br />He noted that there is a problem in Indian River County and it is <br />not just in the future. There were no manatees killed by boats <br />before 1981, and we had the highest in any single year killed in <br />1989; so, there is an existing problem, and it is going to get <br />worse in the future. <br />Commissioner Bowman contended that the freeze kill was not <br />totally unrelated to man - it is man who build the power plants <br />that now attract the manatees to their warm water instead of them <br />going to the warm springs where they are more protected. <br />Mr. Rose assured the Board that "we" do adjust, and if we <br />find what we have done is not right as things change, we will <br />consider redoing it, but he did not think that is likely because <br />we have made great sacrifices already. <br />Commissioner Scurlock asked if "we" is the Department or the <br />50 <br />s � � <br />