February 5, 2026 • 7 mins
Education Coordinator Danielle Wertz at FPL's eco-discovery park Manatee Lagoon talks about this weekend's annual ManateeFest.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Joel Malcolm for WJNO dot com and Manatee Fest
is coming up in Manatee Lagoon manate Fest twenty twenty
six and it is the tenth annual in fact, February seventh, Saturday,
nine to four, and we want to bring on education
coordinator from Manatee Lagoon, which is an fpl ecodiscovery center,
(00:21):
Danielle Wurtz, education coordinator.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thank you for joining me, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All right, ten years I remember talking to you guys
when it's was the very it was the inaugural event,
and I tell you, I don't feel ten years older.
Sometimes I do.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
But it's been a fast ten years. But we're so
excited for our tant anniversary. All right.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
So for people that have not been to manate Fest before,
and we should basically, I guess give a give a
really quick synopsis on Manatee Lagoon.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So in twenty sixteen, Florida Power in Light opened the
Manatee Lagoon, which is an eco discovery center. So it's
free for the public to come not only observe manatees
when they're visiting our area, but also we have an
education center inside and you can learn all about manatees
the Lake Corse Lagoon. So our mission is to educate
(01:19):
the public about manatees and then inspire communities to preserve
and protect Florida's natural environment.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
All right, let's talk about the event specifically. It's his
manate Fest twenty twenty six again tenth anniversary admission. I
believe it's free to get in, but I probably shouldn't
say that without knowing on your.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Percent, it is absolutely free to get in. So this
is our free, family friendly events that we do every
year the first Saturday of February.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
All Right, paint a picture for me if I've never
been there before. I walk through the front the gate
there and what am I going to see?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So when you enter Manateefest, you're going to see our
kids Fun Zone is the first thing that you'll run into.
So this year it is presented by Friends of manate
You Lagoon. We're going to have free face painting and
an inflatable maze that kids can walk through, as well
as some fun outdoor game. So as you continue into
(02:25):
the event, we'll have arts and crafts vendors in booths.
Flora Fish and Wildlife will be there with their marine
mammal rescue van will have some mascot appearances, live music,
and environmental.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Exhibitors, right, and it's it's kind of like it's educational fun.
Not obviously not all of because you have the maize
and whatever. But I know MIA's conservation mission. We should
say Mia the manatee is your main mascot. There what
happens with the conservation mission.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
So the conservation mission is a fun way to incorporate
the education into our event. So when people arrive, families
children are able to grab one of our worksheets for
me as Conservation Mission, And there's a couple different activities
that you can do to complete the mission, and one
of them is going through me as Migration made. That
(03:20):
is the inflatable maze, so you learn a little bit
about my manate migration. With that, you can also complete
our exhibitor passport and learn some fun facts about manatees
as you explore the event. And finally you can take
the conservation pledge. We're going to have a three sixty
photo booths where you can hold up different conservation pledges
(03:41):
and then once you complete the mission, we have a
prize at our information booths.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
So even the maze is educational See I misspoke. That's cool.
There's a lot of fun, a lot of fun stuff.
And you're going to have some local businesses there as well.
Is this I mean what kind of what kind of
businesses are you focusing on?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
So we're mainly going to have for businesses, arts and
crafts vendors. Okay, So we'll have everything from handmade jewelry
to photography and all sorts of marine kind of themed
things to purchase. And we'll also have environmental exhibitors. For instance,
(04:24):
Florida Atlantic Universities Harbor Branch will be exhibiting and they're
also going to bring their whale that you can walk through.
So we'll have a lot of different different organizations and
companies joining us for the event.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
And you just had a rescue man a tea released?
Was it last week? Maybe into your waters there? Could
you tell me a little bit about I'm already flicking
on the manatees names.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, of course. So the van see that was released,
it was last Tuesday and her name was Jamison. And
Jamison was rescued actually last February up in Fort Pierce
and she was a young manatee who is suffering from
some cold stress, which is similar to hypothermia. So Fortafici
(05:10):
and Wildlife was able to rescue and through partnership with SeaWorld,
Jamison was rehabilitated and then released at Manatee Lagoon.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
And now what do they call that? You put a
like a tracker right on on? When when these manatees
are really similar to you know, when like sharks are
caught and we always know where they are. Is that
is that how it works?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yes, so Jamison was she did have one of the
satellite tags attached to her. So those tags get attached
at the narrow part between the body and the tail.
It's actually called the peduncle. Very easy to remember because
it's so unique.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
It sounds like a made up name.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Come on, no, So that felt goes around the peduncle
of the nanate and then these satellite tag floats behind,
so we can keep an eye on where Jamison is.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And that is there a way by doing that that
you know if she's in any kind of trouble down
the road.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, So our organization doesn't track some nanites. That's a
partnership between Florida Fish and Wildlife and Clearwater Marine Research Institute.
But they will keep an eye on where Jamison is
going just to kind of follow her after her release
to make sure she doesn't get into any more trouble.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
All right, nice, anything else you need to add about
Manatee Fest again. It is Saturday, February seventh, and it's
an all day thing, nine am to four pm, free admission.
What about parking, let me know about that.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, so we will have three dedicated event parking lots.
We'll have one awful Flagler Drive that is walking distance
to our event, and we'll also have two additional parking locations.
One will be at the Port of Palm Beach and
another will be in Riviera Beach and those will offer
complimentary shuttle services and we will also have accessible parking
(07:09):
options at our event.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
All right, very well, Well, I appreciate you you joining us.
Tell us about it. I still can't believe it's been
ten years, but the tenth annual manate Fest at Manatee
Lagoon from FPL in West Palm and it is again
February seventh. Danielle Wurtz, Education Coordinator, thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Thank you so much,
Hey, Joel Malcolm for WJNO dot com and Manatee Fest
is coming up in Manatee Lagoon manate Fest twenty twenty
six and it is the tenth annual in fact, February seventh, Saturday,
nine to four, and we want to bring on education
coordinator from Manatee Lagoon, which is an fpl ecodiscovery center,
(00:21):
Danielle Wurtz, education coordinator.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thank you for joining me, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All right, ten years I remember talking to you guys
when it's was the very it was the inaugural event,
and I tell you, I don't feel ten years older.
Sometimes I do.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
But it's been a fast ten years. But we're so
excited for our tant anniversary. All right.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
So for people that have not been to manate Fest before,
and we should basically, I guess give a give a
really quick synopsis on Manatee Lagoon.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So in twenty sixteen, Florida Power in Light opened the
Manatee Lagoon, which is an eco discovery center. So it's
free for the public to come not only observe manatees
when they're visiting our area, but also we have an
education center inside and you can learn all about manatees
the Lake Corse Lagoon. So our mission is to educate
(01:19):
the public about manatees and then inspire communities to preserve
and protect Florida's natural environment.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
All right, let's talk about the event specifically. It's his
manate Fest twenty twenty six again tenth anniversary admission. I
believe it's free to get in, but I probably shouldn't
say that without knowing on your.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Percent, it is absolutely free to get in. So this
is our free, family friendly events that we do every
year the first Saturday of February.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
All Right, paint a picture for me if I've never
been there before. I walk through the front the gate
there and what am I going to see?
Speaker 2 (02:02):
So when you enter Manateefest, you're going to see our
kids Fun Zone is the first thing that you'll run into.
So this year it is presented by Friends of manate
You Lagoon. We're going to have free face painting and
an inflatable maze that kids can walk through, as well
as some fun outdoor game. So as you continue into
(02:25):
the event, we'll have arts and crafts vendors in booths.
Flora Fish and Wildlife will be there with their marine
mammal rescue van will have some mascot appearances, live music,
and environmental.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Exhibitors, right, and it's it's kind of like it's educational fun.
Not obviously not all of because you have the maize
and whatever. But I know MIA's conservation mission. We should
say Mia the manatee is your main mascot. There what
happens with the conservation mission.
Speaker 2 (02:58):
So the conservation mission is a fun way to incorporate
the education into our event. So when people arrive, families
children are able to grab one of our worksheets for
me as Conservation Mission, And there's a couple different activities
that you can do to complete the mission, and one
of them is going through me as Migration made. That
(03:20):
is the inflatable maze, so you learn a little bit
about my manate migration. With that, you can also complete
our exhibitor passport and learn some fun facts about manatees
as you explore the event. And finally you can take
the conservation pledge. We're going to have a three sixty
photo booths where you can hold up different conservation pledges
(03:41):
and then once you complete the mission, we have a
prize at our information booths.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
So even the maze is educational See I misspoke. That's cool.
There's a lot of fun, a lot of fun stuff.
And you're going to have some local businesses there as well.
Is this I mean what kind of what kind of
businesses are you focusing on?
Speaker 2 (04:04):
So we're mainly going to have for businesses, arts and
crafts vendors. Okay, So we'll have everything from handmade jewelry
to photography and all sorts of marine kind of themed
things to purchase. And we'll also have environmental exhibitors. For instance,
(04:24):
Florida Atlantic Universities Harbor Branch will be exhibiting and they're
also going to bring their whale that you can walk through.
So we'll have a lot of different different organizations and
companies joining us for the event.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
And you just had a rescue man a tea released?
Was it last week? Maybe into your waters there? Could
you tell me a little bit about I'm already flicking
on the manatees names.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, of course. So the van see that was released,
it was last Tuesday and her name was Jamison. And
Jamison was rescued actually last February up in Fort Pierce
and she was a young manatee who is suffering from
some cold stress, which is similar to hypothermia. So Fortafici
(05:10):
and Wildlife was able to rescue and through partnership with SeaWorld,
Jamison was rehabilitated and then released at Manatee Lagoon.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
And now what do they call that? You put a
like a tracker right on on? When when these manatees
are really similar to you know, when like sharks are
caught and we always know where they are. Is that
is that how it works?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Yes, so Jamison was she did have one of the
satellite tags attached to her. So those tags get attached
at the narrow part between the body and the tail.
It's actually called the peduncle. Very easy to remember because
it's so unique.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
It sounds like a made up name.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
Come on, no, So that felt goes around the peduncle
of the nanate and then these satellite tag floats behind,
so we can keep an eye on where Jamison is.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
And that is there a way by doing that that
you know if she's in any kind of trouble down
the road.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
Yeah, So our organization doesn't track some nanites. That's a
partnership between Florida Fish and Wildlife and Clearwater Marine Research Institute.
But they will keep an eye on where Jamison is
going just to kind of follow her after her release
to make sure she doesn't get into any more trouble.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
All right, nice, anything else you need to add about
Manatee Fest again. It is Saturday, February seventh, and it's
an all day thing, nine am to four pm, free admission.
What about parking, let me know about that.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
Yeah, so we will have three dedicated event parking lots.
We'll have one awful Flagler Drive that is walking distance
to our event, and we'll also have two additional parking locations.
One will be at the Port of Palm Beach and
another will be in Riviera Beach and those will offer
complimentary shuttle services and we will also have accessible parking
(07:09):
options at our event.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
All right, very well, Well, I appreciate you you joining us.
Tell us about it. I still can't believe it's been
ten years, but the tenth annual manate Fest at Manatee
Lagoon from FPL in West Palm and it is again
February seventh. Danielle Wurtz, Education Coordinator, thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Thank you so much,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Betrayal Season 5
Saskia Inwood woke up one morning, knowing her life would never be the same. The night before, she learned the unimaginable – that the husband she knew in the light of day was a different person after dark. This season unpacks Saskia’s discovery of her husband’s secret life and her fight to bring him to justice. Along the way, we expose a crime that is just coming to light. This is also a story about the myth of the “perfect victim:” who gets believed, who gets doubted, and why. We follow Saskia as she works to reclaim her body, her voice, and her life. If you would like to reach out to the Betrayal Team, email us at betrayalpod@gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.