Paddle Manatee: Ms. Price introduced
Mr. John Osborne of Manatee County.Mr. Osbourne spoke on the
Development of Blueways in Manatee County. The program in
Manatee is called "Paddle Manatee" and consists of 75
miles of blueways in publicly owned waterways with 100 markers,
8-10 kiosks, 14 public launch sites. They printed an original
run of 10,000 waterproof guides.
Paddle Manatee started in 1990, with a Greenways Action Plan.
In 1998, the Florida Greenways Coordination Council created the
Connecting Florida Commission with Greenways and Trails. Manatee
started with one designated 3 mile trail with no markers. In
January 2000, Manatee received a National Park Service RTCA
Technical Assistance Grant to develop a greenways master plan.
The Citizen Trail Commission (CTC) was then created to develop a
mission statement, project timelines, a citizen participation
process and included a blueways subcommittee. In June 2000,
Manatee County received a $25,000 FRDP Coastal Management
Program Grant to develop 23 miles of blueways, markers and
exotic vegetation removal. A CTC meeting in November 2000 has
100 attendees.
The Blueways Subcommittee relied on volunteer research
paddling the waterways and taking copious photographs.
Additional assistance came from kayaking clubs, scouting
organizations (including Eagle Scout projects), the local Sierra
chapter, the NPS, and local ecotourism businesses. Manatee
County also received a second $25,000 grant from West Coast
Inland Navigational District, allowing the placement of
additional markers and an expansion to 75 miles of blueways
overall.
Mr. Osbourne and his team paddled each and every proposed
blueway. GPS was used to determine marker locations for
navigational purposes. The markers should be visible from each
other, and in mangrove island areas, the markers are more
frequently placed due to ease of confusion. They decided to go
with a guide book instead of a folding map due to the large
amount of information that it ended up containing, and made it
waterproof for longevity. The CTC reviewed the draft guide prior
to printing (a planned second edition will remove the few
mistakes that ended up within it).
The Blueways Kickoff happened September 2001. There were no
markers in place and the guides were not ready at that time.
The markers are standardized in Florida. Some are 16x16 and
some are 18x18. Sign material is similar to stop signs, set on
PVC poles with striping and placed at a slight forward angle to
minimize bird deposits. Permitting for markers is required
through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC),
as well as the US Coast Guard and the US Army Corps of Engineers
(ACOE). It was decided to go with contractor installation
instead of volunteer placement.
The Manatee County government offices that oversee Paddle
Manatee include the Ecosystems Management Division (overall
project leadership) who maintain launch sites on conservation
lands, the Environmental Management Division who install and
maintain the markers, the Parks and Recreation Department who maintain launch
sites on county lands, and the Planning Division who undertook
the planning, the growth, the promotion and the coordination
with developers. Safety issues are handled by the Manatee County
Rescue Division. The County Attorney reviewed liability issues.
A US Coast Guard review was made where the blueways cross the
Intercoastal Waterways (ICW) and markers adjacent to the ICW.
For 2003, additional markers are slated as well as kiosks and
a second edition to the guide. Creating a "Friends of the
Trail" is also expected and going for state/national
recreational trail designations. Interest in the project must be
maintained.
Do's and Don'ts: Mr. Osborne stressed needing to paddle the
proposed blueways in all season and all tidal conditions.
Blueways can gain additional points in many grant applications.
Several items to get early on include a copy of the permitting,
working with the permitting agencies and working with developers
and maintainers. A dry run of marker installation was made to
determine the conditions that bidders would need to understand.
Other funding sources would include water management districts,
the National Estuary Program, parks and recreation grants such
as FRDP, private grants/donations, and Friends of the Trail.
Taking time to map more routes than is currently planned to mark
allows a quick response if additional monies suddenly become
available.
The overall cost of Paddle Manatee was the $50,000 (from the
two grants) and staff time. Coordinates of the markers will soon
be available on the website. Ms. Price asked what the public
response has been, and Mr. Osbourne proclaimed Paddle Manatee to
be a golden boy for the county. The cost to install the 100
markers was $15,000. Paddlers can re-trace the trail by
following the backs of the markers, and in the future, it is
hoped to possible have two-way signage. NPS has reported
minimizing damage to signage by applying an American flag to
their signs (90% drop in vandalism) and Manatee is considering
this application. Some markers may also be lost to storms. Other
adjacent blueway systems include Sarasota's and state blueways
in Big Cypress and the Everglades.
2 Speed Zones of the Hillsborough River: Sgt. Alan Draffin
spoke on planned changes to the boat speed zones on the river
and the channels adjacent to the islands. Despite past
resolutions by City Council on boat speeds, no permits were ever
applied for to the FFWCC, so enforcement by the Marine Patrol is
impossible. Additionally, FFWCC has guidelines on boat speeds
and perceived danger and erosion damage is considered
insufficient grounds to authorize an idle or slow speed zone.
Despite public debate and city resolutions, the state will only
accept what it deems reasonable. Sgt. Draffin's staff has
prepared a map that ideally will nullify the previous
resolutions and place all violations under one ordinance, one
permit number. Idle speeds are allowed within 500' either
direction of fueling facilities, and within 300' either
direction of public boat ramps/docks (no private). There is no
state recognize manatee areas on the Hillsborough River. Money
for signs would need to be acquired from Public Works.
Ms. Thompson wondered if the CAC should send a letter to the
City Council supporting this new ordinance and plan for the
river. Ms. Jill Buford moved that the CAC sent a letter to the
City Council supporting the new ordinance with signage. Ms.
Melanie Higgins seconded the motion. It was unanimous.
