ORLANDO (FL) -- Central Florida motorists are spotting manatees – skyward! New outdoor billboards from Save the Manatee Club are getting double-takes from passers-by. The mega-sized boards, currently located on I-4 and Fairbanks and also at Lee Road and Edgewater Drive, feature a mother manatee and calf with the message – “Who’s Your Manatee?” The billboards are meant to raise public awareness about endangered manatees. Staff at the Club, a Maitland-based national nonprofit organization, are pleased with the outdoor boards’ ability to reach the public in a new way, delivering the Club’s manatee conservation message, not only to the local community, but also to the millions of yearly visitors to Orlando, one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world.
The billboard space and installation were donated by Clear Channel Outdoor Orlando. “We’re extremely excited about our opportunity to partner with Save the Manatee Club on a great public awareness campaign,” said Craig Swygert, President and General Manager, Orlando Division for Clear Channel Outdoor. “Manatees are a great treasure of Florida’s natural wildlife, and letting citizens of Orange County and beyond know how they can help by adopting a real manatee is a wonderful partnership. Clear Channel donates hundreds of thousands of dollars of billboard space annually to local charities in the community. We are tremendously supportive of helping Save the Manatee Club and their great work for such a great cause.”
Patrick Rose, the Club’s Executive Director, appreciates Clear Channel Outdoor’s help as well as others in the community who have contributed to the billboard project. “We are enormously grateful for Clear Channel’s generosity and support, and for the outstanding help of other business partners too, including Florida Media, Inc., Expedited Printing Services, and photographer David Schrichte.”
The manatee billboards, measuring 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide, have created quite a buzz in the community the short time they’ve been up. Joseph Pozo, President of Boat Tree Marina in Sanford saw the I-4 billboard and immediately adopted 10 manatees from Save the Manatee Club. He also plans to distribute the Club’s educational materials to their customers. Mr. Pozo says, “It’s crucial that boater awareness is provided to ensure that the manatees along the St. Johns River are provided a safe environment.”
For more information on manatees, the Adopt-A-Manatee® program, manatee gift merchandise, or to sign up for the Club’s free e-newsletter, visit the Club’s website at
www.savethemanatee.org. Save the Manatee Club is now using Twitter. Join today at
http://twitter.com/savethemanatee and start receiving the Club’s tweets.
*****Complimentary Educational Manatee Awareness Programs which feature a short talk, video, and Q & A period are available free of charge from Old Port Cove Holdings, Inc. Programs are geared towards Elementary School students. For more information or to schedule a 45-minute program, Please contact Sue Morgan, Marketing Director. 561-296-1863 - Email: marinas@opch.com Web Site: www.opch.com*****
