Patrick Rose - Save the Manatee Club- Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett died Friday night at age 76. He's being remembered not just for his music but for his commitment to conservation. Buffett co-founded the Save the Manatee Club and played a leading role in efforts to save what was an endangered species. We speak with the club's executive director, Pat Rose, who knew Jimmy from the club's beginnings.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. We're speaking with you as we record
this just a few hours after welearned that singer and songwriter Jimmy Buffett died
Friday night at the age of seventysix. And you're hearing a lot about
his songs. You're hearing about MargueritaVille and Cheeseburger in Paradise and his incredible
musical legacy, and maybe a littlebit also about his business legacy as well.

(00:24):
But Jimmy Buffett was also involved ina lot of issues in Florida,
particularly conservation. He was one ofthe co founders of Save the Manateee Club.
We have the executive director of Savethe Manateee Club, Patrick Rose,
with us on the line. Heis the executive director of the organization and
by background, he is an aquaticbiologist, which brought him into that issue

(00:47):
and that concern. He's here totalk about mister Buffett's legacy when it comes
to conservation in Florida, particularly manatees. Patrick Rose, thank you for joining
us here on Beyond the News.Good morning. Now, as I understand
it, you go all the wayback to the founding of the organization back
around nineteen eighty one, and that'show you met Jimmy Buffett. If you

(01:10):
could tell us a little bit moreabout that, Yeah, it was.
It was my great pleasure to meetJimmy in nineteen eighty one, and it
really respond for him circumstances where GovernorBob Graham, who later became our senator
from Florida, met backstage with Jimmyafter one of his concerts and Jimmy asked

(01:34):
the Governor, out of concern forwhat was happening with manatees, what more
could be done. And at thatpoint in time, it was decided that
the governor would appoint a group calledthe Save the Manatee Committee, and Jimmy
wanted to chair that group, toGovernor appointed him as chair. I had
the pleasure of being also asked bythe Governor to serve as the scientific advisor

(01:59):
to the same the Anti Committee,And that's kind of the beginnings of it.
But you know, much much hashappened since then, and very little
of that would have happened without Jimmyand him asking the Governor to get involved,
and of course Bob Graham, ourgovernor, you know, taking on
that mission as well. So we'revery very grateful to Jimmy, and we

(02:20):
continue to be grateful to Kevin orGraham. Did did he ever a talk
with you or express how it wasthat he came to be so concerned about
the fate of the manity? Obviouslyhe loved the water, he loved the
keys, he loved that lifestyle.How did that translate into getting involved with
an issue like this? But Jimmywas, you know, it was a

(02:43):
great lover of the oceans and ourand our aquatic ecosystem. Spend a lot
of time on his sailboat and activitiesin and around the water, whether it
was throughout the Gulf of Mexico butalso Florida, And I know he expressed
to me that when he saw particularmanateee that came up to his sailboat,

(03:04):
he not only was moved by thefact that, you know, it was
a marine mammal and the association wehave with that and the gentle nature of
them, but also the fact thatthey he saw the scars on them from
propellers and being wounded. And Ithink it really, as it did with
many of us, it really justreally cemented that fact that they needed our

(03:25):
help. Now you were he's beenor he was involved with the Save the
Manateee Club obviously for many decades andwas involved well beyond its founding. Tell
us how his presence and his influencehelped your organization and helped you to accomplish

(03:47):
some of the goals as far asputting the Manateees in a little bit better
position for survival. Well, absolutely, Jimmy jumped in right away after the
formation of the Save the Anti Committeeand actually held concerts and so forth to
help raise some of the initial funds, and immediately those funds went to posting

(04:08):
waterway signs to help inform voters ofthe need to slow down appropriately and to
avoid hit. Humanities set up ahotline and a lot of public awareness activity
in order to spread the word asto what helpmanities would need. But Jimmy
also made it clear in his sortof daily work with the organization that this

(04:32):
was not something he intended to continueto do in that capacity, but wanted
to help us set us up witha strong foundation to be able to carry
on. And that's really what hashappened. And I can say though that
every time that we needed Jimmy,he was there and he didn't hesitate to
help but we were also trying tocarry forward just with what he envisioned as

(04:56):
that say, the Anty Club wouldbecome a strong environmental organization, in fact
an environmental you know, internationally important, and that we would we would carry
on. But he did stay upuntil his time in passing yesterday as our
co chair of the say the AntiCommittee and or excuse me, say the
Anti Club, and will be eternallygrateful. And if you could kind of

(05:19):
sum up his legacy to your organization, I don't know how we would be
where we are without Jimmy. Ithink it is it's it's hard for me
to put it into exact terms.But he also brought others along. I

(05:39):
think people considered more of how theycould help just because he was a part
of it. And but he wasalso probably he never wanted, as far
as I ever knew, he neverwanted the attention to be directed towards him.
He wanted the attention to be directedtowards this you know, marine mammal

(06:00):
that was that was endangered, imperiledand not capable of aggression, but really
needed save the Manatee Club to bethe voice for manatees, and Jimmy really
helped set that foundation to ensure thatthat happened. And then you know,
it was more than willing to passoff on awards and you know, accolades
and things like that and have theattention be directed to the species which he

(06:25):
cared so much about. Patrick Rose, Executive director of the Save the Manatee
Club. But thank you very muchfor joining us on beyond the news. Thank you