Manatee Blues by Laurie Halse Anderson Page A

money?”
    “His new contract pays him nine million dollars a year,” Maggie says. “Trust me, he has it.”
    “It’s not happening,” I say.
    Dr. Mac laughs. “Yes, it is,” she assures me.
    Ronnie motions for us to quiet down. “Stu, here, wants to say something,” he says as he hands the microphone to the Stingers’ public relations man.
    “Ronnie kind of sprung this on us at the last minute,” Stu says, “but when the big man speaks, we listen.”
    He pauses to clear his throat. Everyone is quiet. “Ahem. The Stingers want to support the Gold Coast Rescue Center as one of our official charities. We’ll be making plans for Manatee Day at the ballpark and will work with you to develop an advertising campaign to alert our fans about safe boating, not polluting the water, and protecting Florida’s wildlife.”
    The crowd cheers loudly, cutting off the last thing he says. Gretchen steps forward, taking the mike again.
    “Brenna, will you come up here, please?”
    Me?
    “Go on, go on!” Maggie says, giving me a little shove. I walk up to Gretchen, who turns me around to face the crowd.
    “This is the hero of the hour, folks,” Gretchen says. “Brenna Lake. She’s responsible for all of this.”
    The photographers all point their cameras at me.
Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!
The flashes are blinding.
    Gretchen says a few more things, then hands the mike to Carlos. To be honest, I can’t hear them. There’s an ocean roaring in my ears, all the feelings of the past few days building up and crashing over me. I finger my manatee charm.
    I did it!
    I did something that really made a difference. Too bad there’s not enough room to turn a cartwheel in here.
    I look up at the manatees swimming on the other side of the glass wall. While Violet munches on her lettuce, Key Lime swims close to her. She leans forward, touching her muzzle to his. I freeze. She’s talking to him!
    Key Lime nuzzles his way along the side of her head and down her right side. Violet lifts her right flipper. Key Lime noses his way to her nipple and starts to nurse. She’s feeding him!
    I tug on Gretchen’s arm and point. The crowd quiets, Carlos stops talking, and everyone turns to stare. The orphaned calf and his foster mother float together peacefully.
    I bring my camera up to my face and quickly adjust the focus for the best picture of Florida.
    Click!

Make Room for Manatees
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    BY J.J. MACKENZIE, D.V.M.
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    Wild World News —Florida manatees are the most endangered coastal marine mammals. Researchers think there are fewer than 3,000 of them left, and we’re losing 10 percent of the manatee population every year.
    In order to save them, we first have to understand them. Studying these large mammals is a challenge. Because they are endangered, manatees cannot be captured for the sole purpose of study. So a lot of what we know about manatees comes from observing the animals while they are recuperating from life-threatening injuries at rescue or rehab centers. Teams of researchers also study them in the wild, but they are careful to keep their distance and not disturb the manatees’ environment.
UNDERSTANDING MANATEES
    Now hear this. Knowing how manatees hear might be the key to saving them from boat strike injuries. Because manatees communicate in high-pitched noises, researchers suspect that they don’t pick up the low-pitched noise made by a boat engine until the boat is very close. That may explain why some manatees can’t get out of the way in time to avoid a collision.
    Curious creatures. Manatees are very curious. When they see a strange object in the water, they naturally want to inspect it, play with it, and in the case of fishing line or rope, even floss their teeth with it! But their curiosity often gets them into trouble. They become entangled in fishing nets or lines, eat trash that may kill them, or become exposed to harmful pollution or waste.
    A hazardous habit. Manatees like to scratch their skin by