Below is the most recent release from US Fish and Wildlife concerning the closures at Three Sisters Springs:
NEWS RELEASE
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Crystal River NWR Complex
1502 SE Kings Bay Dr.
Crystal River, FL 34429
Phone: 352-563-2088
Fax: 352-795-7961
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release #:
DATE: February 18, 2015 Contact: Ivan Vicente: 352-563-2088 X:211
Daily Monitoring of Multiple Variables Determine In-Water Access to Three Sisters Springs
The US Fish and Wildlife Service staff at Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge is monitoring Three Sisters Springs daily to assess manatee activity and determine the need to open or close the springs for public in-water wildlife viewing.
And now, Back to our blog:
It is difficult to predict when Three Sisters will be open or closed at this time. We want to point out that ALL the other springs remain open and that the tours still go out and are still GREAT!
With this cold weather we have more manatee than ever and the tours have been lots of fun, with plenty of manatee both in and out of the springs.
Come to Crystal River and enjoy our gentile giants.
Refuge staff considers a number of manatee biological requirements and public safety factors to determine these openings and closings. Any one or a combination of these factors may be used to determine the need to open or close the springs. These factors include, but are not limited:
· Predicted or sustained low air temperatures; and
· High tide; and/or
· High manatee numbers/increasing aggregations; and/or
· Predicted or sustained low Gulf water temperatures
Preliminary monitoring has documented over 400 manatees using Three Sisters Springs. NOAA’s National Weather Service predicts upcoming increasing daily low temperatures. Crystal River NWR staff will continue to monitor weather, tides, manatee usage of the springs, and other factors to determine opened or closed status of the springs for in-water wildlife viewing, accordingly. When in-water access at Three Sisters Springs is restricted, visitors can still visit the boardwalk for wildlife viewing. In order to keep you updated on whether Three Sisters Springs is open or closed, we are posting the latest information on our Facebook page at https://facebook.com/CrystalRiverComplex. You do not need to have a Facebook account to see these updates. Additionally, Crystal River NWR is working to install a hotline for Three Sisters Springs Open and Closing Updates.
