I'm thrilled to announce that NOAA will be using footage from "Manatees in Crisis" in an upcoming series they are producing.
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With the exception of the really bad audio, I am pleased to say the third installment of "Manatees in Crisis" is up, LIVE on YouTube! What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Given that logic, I should be Superman.
I was diagnosed with Meniere's Disease in 2004 and slowly it has taken all of the hearing in my right ear and left me with marginal hearing in my left one. Most days now I am unable to hear well enough to talk on the phone. On days like today, I can't even hear myself speak. Meniere's comes with bouts of severe vertigo - the kind that only end with hours in the bathroom, retching my soul out. The disease eroded my balance, too. I can be very unstable at times, which leads to people wondering just how drunk I might be as I stumble through the grocery store. The pain and ringing are constant. My inner ear - the part between my eardrum and my brain - feels like it is full and hurts. The tinnitus remains at the volume of a jet engine all-day, every day, in my right ear. The past few weeks have been rough on me. Meniere's is unforgiving and unpredictable. I want to edit footage. I want to hear the interviews and soundtrack. I want to catch up to a million self-imposed deadlines. But here I sit... in a cacophony of deafness. I'm so sorry that webisode 3 is taking so long. For what it's worth, I can't wait to see it, either. - Rick I was really hoping this post would be the link to a brand-new episode of "Manatees in Crisis." Alas, my hearing has prevented me from editing for the past week. I suffer from Meniere's Disease and am very hearing-impaired and my hearing fluctuates severely.
It's frustrating because I'm more than ready to edit and to have this episode (the one with Dr. Katie Tripp) up and LIVE now. I know those who follow the series are waiting. I can only hope you'll bear with me. It won't be too much longer, I promise! In other news, I had an email from Dr. Tripp today. She writes: "I thought you might be interested in this new iphone app (we hope to expand to droids) that alerts boaters when they are entering a manatee speed zone. We’re very excited about it and thought you might like to use this tool and pass this on to your boating contacts. This free app is a win-win for all involved. Here’s a press release we issued last Thursday that includes the link for downloading the app. Pass it on!! http://savethemanatee.org/news_pr_manatee_app_alert_8_13.html" There is certainly some good news about the crisis right now. However, the death toll continues to inch upward and actual progress to stem the tide of the algal blooms is slow moving at best. The past few weeks have been a blur of activity and change. The next installment of "Manatees in Crisis" is currently being edited and should be ready for viewing on Aug. 26.
Production offices (that is to say my house) have moved a bit out of the area. Actually, 3,350 miles out of the area to Washington State. Many different elements came together to precipitate the move but, rest assured, I filmed more than enough footage, interviews and wild manatees to finish the next 4-5 episodes. Why did I move? Well, simply put, to continue working to save marine mammals. I'll be working on a feature-length documentary for the next couple of years about killer whales in the Pacific Northwest. As exciting as I am to be given the chance to work with some of the world's leading experts on orca whales, I was sad to leave the manatees with their future so damned uncertain. However, my commitment remains to tell their story here through the web series - now and for the next few years. So, please, keep sharing this website and the series. I can promise you that I am working hard to maintain the the most current news, resources and statistics, even as I film the killer whales. The two species' plights are not mutually exclusive, either. Both large-sized, highly intelligent marine mammal species are imperiled by changes in the health of their respective Eco-systems. So, from time-to-time, I will blog about the global issues as well as the ones directly affecting Florida. "Manatees in Crisis" will still be the the most comprehensive chronicle of the die-off that's openly and freely accessible to anyone. Thank you for your continued support and for helping spread the word! Cheers, - Rick Wood I was out this morning, filming at Round Island, accompanied by a Vero Press Journal photographer.
In sad - but poignant - form, fours hours of watching the water yielded only two manatees. It's a sign of the times, really...and a bit of an omen of the future. I'll post a link to the photo gallery as soon as I know it's up.- Rick "Manatees in Crisis" just received enough funding to continue the series through the end of the year.
I am profoundly grateful to all of our supporters and backers who are making it possible to continue to spread the word about this crisis. The production will be taking a 3-week hiatus as I travel across the country. On August 15th we'll begin editing two key episodes (one with an interview with Dr. Katie Tripp of "Save the Manatee Club") and should have webisode 3 LIVE by August 25. It'll be quickly followed by webisode 4, in September. We are truly thrilled to be able to keep going. Thank you all! How many manatees have died in the past month here in Florida, after the supposed "end" of the die-off crisis? ...45. 45 more manatees were found dead from June 5 - July 5. Total known deaths since January: more than 675 ...at this rate the estimated year-end total will exceed 850.
How do we stop it from becoming the "nail in the coffin" for the species? 1. Find solutions to nitrate-rich fertilizers. Stop their runoff into our environment. 2. Replenish depleted sea grass beds. Protect those beds that are still intact. 3. Remove more pollutants from the waterways. Take better care of rivers, lakes, estuaries and oceans by reducing the amount of plastic that enters them. Sometimes I feel like it’s a byproduct of my hearing impairment. Those moments when people visibly shift in their stance, glance around the room as if checking for an exit or loudly parrot what I’ve just said feel so similar to it.
It’s not always my lack of hearing causing the discomfort. There are other times when it’s what I’m saying that triggers a wave of dread…or panic. I haven’t been so immersed in animal conservation long enough to forget the, “uh-oh…he’s one of ‘them,’” feelings. It usually comes with an uncomfortable desire to extricate oneself before the “All Humans Are EVIL” diatribe starts. The more-polite folks nod knowingly and quietly feign attentiveness. Those whose social etiquette is less accommodating will simply walk away. The hardest ones to watch are those who stand petrified, frozen in place, like a deer in a set of on-coming headlights. Now, I can tell when someone feels uncomfortable when I talk about manatees and the on-going die-off. In the beginning I couldn’t understand why anyone who heard the facts - who had learned of the crisis - could feel anything but concern and a willingness to help. Yet, here they are…people who stare at me like I was wearing a tinfoil hat and carrying a sign that reads, “The End is nigh!” Actually, maybe I understand those folks more than I care to admit. When confronted with dire news, human nature and psychology can create several different styles of absorbing the upsetting information. Some people try to bury it immediately and not have to digest the harder, deeper meaning. There are some who react to fear – and “fear” is really the catalyst – with anger. Then there are those who are confounded by the disparity between what they’ve been taught (or heard on the news) and the more difficult, convoluted information I throw at them. To those people I am simply “Chicken Little,” telling them the sky is falling. I get it because that true sentiment behind all of those reactions is that people just don’t want the truth to be that bad. They want the facts to be “wrong” because it means there’s more hope, more future and less responsibility and guilt. I was those same folks just seven months ago. But seven months has drastically changed the landscape of the destiny for the Florida manatee. The algal bloom that’s taken record numbers of the marine mammals didn’t evaporate and go away. Another bloom just has taken its place and the die-off continues. The “sky” is falling…and there aren’t enough tinfoil hats in the world to stop it from falling. There’s only a small window of opportunity in which to act. Replenishing sea grass beds, eradicating pollution and completely stemming the effluent from nitrate-rich chemicals can save the manatees. That’s a fact. It’s not an easy fix, though. To do this right and have a lasting mitigating effect, the measures taken would have to be massive and supported statewide. It would require a collective effort – no politics, no self-centered interests. “We” would have to mean ALL of us…working together. And there “it” is… that’s where the shifting and nervous glances come in. I finally figured out that what makes people the most uncomfortable is that, in their hearts, they know that talking about saving a species – about wholesale extinction – is ultimately a plea for sacrifice. Intrinsic, personal and costly sacrifice to save an animal we can’t eat, ride, own as pets or put into circuses. In essence, it means making a sacrifice based solely on faith. It’s not easy to hear but it is very true. Apathy is a tacit signature on the death warrant for manatees. We must decide (and quickly) to take action or accept the fate we manufactured for them. There is no “middle ground.” If we have any chance; it is right now. That’s as far as I get. By the time we get to the root of it, I’m left with the same audience… a bunch of deer in on-coming headlights. But... stand still, move forward or go back, the car continues to barrel down on us. Hi all,
In an effort to bring developing news to this site quicker, I've installed a mobile app on my phone to blog on the go. Now, let's see how many times auto-correct turns a serious post into unintentional locker room humor. |