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Purchase your Mobile Manatee License Plate to support manatee research |
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Soon Alabama residents will be able to directly support West Indian manatee research efforts by purchasing the Mobile Manatees distinctive license plate. The plate, approved on March 10 by the Alabama Legislative Oversight Committee, will go into production if, after one year, the state receives 1,000 commitments to purchase it. Residents can commit to purchase a plate at their local DMV office beginning May 1, 2009. Proceeds from this license plate will fund research by the Mobile Manatees Sighting Network (MMSN), a network launched in spring 2007 by Dr. Ruth Carmichael to provide a centralized location to report local manatee sightings and to investigate how manatees use fringe habitats such as Alabama waters. MMSN researchers think that the license plate will bring much-needed attention to the manatee, recently made the official marine mammal of Alabama by the state legislature. In addition to other outreach activities offered by MMSN such as fact sheets, flyers, and public presentations, the Mobile Manatees license plate will increase awareness of manatees in local waters. Since collisions with boats are the number one cause of death for manatees it is likely that an increase in awareness of the presence of manatees in Alabama waters will result in fewer harmful interactions between boats and these slow, gentle creatures. |
 Mobile Manatees license plate |
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