River Ventures News and Views
Welcome to our News and Views Blog ...
Here you will find tidbits of information about our Florida Manatees. Find out what's happening in and around Crystal River, and in our neighboring towns of Homosassa, and Inverness, Florida. View some pictures of a few of our guests and their very special moments while swimming with the ever so gentle and curious manatees here in the beautiful King's Bay of Crystal River.
Tour Conditions
Summmer is here and our wintering manatees have returned to the Gulf of Mexico. Please view the current tour conditions in our bay by visiting our Tour Conditions page located here.
Statewide Manatee Survey Conducted.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission Biologists conducted a statewide manatee survey on January 20, and January 24, 2011. During this survey biologists with the FWC counted 4,840 manatees statewide. There were 2,438 manatees counted on Florida's East Coast, and 2,402 counted along Florida's West Coast. These counts cannot be used in determining the long term population trends as the number of manatees not visible during the survey is unknown. For more information about manatees and synoptic surveys, visit http://research.MyFWC.com/Manatee.
To report a dead or injured manatee, call the FWC's Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC.
New Homosassa River Cam
There is a new web cam that has been set up on the Homosassa River. The cam is mounted over MacRaes Bait House and can be viewed by visiting the Visit Citrus website at: www.visitcitrus.com and clicking on the "Live River Cam" link on the top left side of the page. The camera is mounted so that it is looking west, Monkey Island can be seen in the distance.
December 15, 2010
Another Record Manatee Count!
 The most recent aerial manatee survey conducted by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service revealed a record number of manatees in the bay for this time of the year. The most recent count revealed that there were 621 manatees in the waters of Citrus County. There were 468 adult manatees and 48 calves in Crystal Rivers' King's Bay. Another 60 manatees were counted in the Three Sister's Springs area.
These numbers are a lot higher than last years count at this same time. In 2009, there were 224 manatees in King's Bay and 438 countywide.
The recent cold snaps have driven the manatees into the warm waters of Citrus County and at this rate, we are looking at another record breaking season.
Manatee Web-Cam at Three Sisters Springs
 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), has installed a web-cam at the entrance to the Three Sisters Springs complex in Crystal River.
The Three Sisters Springs complex is one of the most important warm water refuges in King's Bay. It attracts a large number of manatees during the colder months and it is a popular spot for manatee viewing. To better protect the manatees, the USFWS has added a new manatee sanctuary that is located adjacent to the existing sanctuary just outside of the spring run. The new web-cam will stream live video of the sanctuary, and the run leading up to the entrance, to a public website that will allow remote viewing of manatee activity in and around the entrance to the spring complex.
This camera will allow state and federal law enforcement, biologist, and the general public to remotely view the manatees that are utilizing the sanctuary just outside of the springÕs complex.
A few technical details to know first before viewing the camera include:
- Only 30 people can access the website at one time.
- Click on the "Single" tab at the top of the page to view the live stream.
- Visitors will be prompted to install ActiveX controllers the first time they visit the website.
You can view the Three Sisters Web-Cam by following the link below:
http://manateecam.viewnetcam.com
Homosassa Springs to open park to wild manatees
 Manatees that winter in the coastal waters off Citrus County will have a new safe, warm, spring-fed habitat starting Dec. 3.
That's when Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park will open its gate for the winter months and welcome the wild manatee population that lives just outside.
It will be the first time wild manatees will be able to reach the main spring that feeds the Homosassa River since the gate was installed under the park's Long River Bridge in 1980.
At 10 a.m. Dec. 3, officials from several agencies will open the gate that separates wild manatees that winter in the area known as the Homosassa Blue Waters from the interior of the state park.
The bowl at Homosassa Springs has been home to the park's captive manatee herd some of which are recovering from injuries for about three decades.
State and federal officials have talked for years about opening the spring to wild manatees. Those efforts got a boost in 2006 when a dredge project took place to deepen the area just outside the park so manatees could swim right up to the gate.
The captive manatees, all female, will continue to live at the park, but in a smaller fenced area within the bowl of the spring. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's goal is to eventually release into the wild as many captive manatees as possible.
November 12, 2010 -
Large Numbers of Manatees arriving early this season.
A Routine USFWS manatee count conducted on Wednesday, November 12th showed 293 manatees in the waters of Citrus County. This is a surprising number as last year's survey, conducted around this same time, showed only 55 manatees. During this most recent manatee count there were 166 manatees in King's Bay alone, including 23 calves. The almost 300 manatees counted during this most recent survey indicate that a very high number of manatees will likely use the King's Bay refuge here in Crystal River as their safe haven this winter.
The United States Fish & Wildlife Service has broadened its protection of the Manatees in Crystal Rivers King's Bay.
 On November 5th 2010, the USFWS issued an emergency order that will expand the area of protection for the manatees to include all of King's Bay and its tributaries. This is a necessary measure due to the ever increasing number of manatees that winter here in Crystal River. The current sanctuaries are no longer large enough to protect the ever growing number of migrating manatees that call Crystal River home during the cold months. This emergency order allows the USFWS to expand the designated no entry sanctuaries when temperatures drop to a critical level. We do not feel that this will impact our swim with manatees tours in a negative way as we feel that over time, even more manatees will find King's Bay to be an adequate safe haven. If you would like to read more about this emergency rule you can view the USFWS news release here - USFWS News Release.
Upcoming public meetings in Crystal River regarding
the Kings Bay refuge designation.
There will be several meetings held at the Plantation Inn located in Crystal River to discuss the permanent National Wildlife Refuge designation for King's Bay. The public is welcome to attend these meetings. We have posted the meeting dates and times below for those who have an interest in attending.
Emergency Rule Information Meetings:
Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 18, 2010, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Informal Public Meetings:
Saturday, November 20, 2010, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 2, 2010, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
These meetings are open to the public and will be held at the Plantation Inn and Golf Resort located on Fort Island Trail in Crystal River.
 Have you had your "Manatee Kiss" today?
It's a special moment when one of our curios and gentle manatees approaches one of our guests to give them the coveted manatee kiss. Nothing to be afraid of here, manatees are completely harmless and are great fun to interact with. Our tours to swim with the manatees are scheduled for the best times of the day for interactions.
Manatee Education - Children's Activities - Music - Crafters - Food & Much More!
Join us in downtown Crystal River to celebrate this fabulous event now in its 23rd year. Enjoy live music, great food, and exquisite art displayed by over 60 exhibitors from across the country. Take a boat tour on the beautiful King's Bay where you will have the opportunity to observe the abundant wildlife of our Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Enter the Jimmy Buffet sound-alike concert or just sit back and enjoy the sites as thousands of residents and visitors join in the fun.
Citrus County Florida boasts some of the most wonderful seasonal events that occur throughout the year. These events take place in Crystal River, as well as in our neighboring towns of Homosassa, and Inverness. There are just too many wonderful events to list them all here individually so be sure to take the time to view this calendar that lists the events that are planned for our area. You just might be lucky to find one of these events going on while you're here visiting us at River Ventures for your swim with manatees.
 Great American Cooter Fest
October 2011
Food - Crafts - Entertainment & Games
Set up in the historic district of downtown Inverness, you'll enjoy an abundance of outdoor events steeped deep in down-home Southern entertainment. Step out of your shell and crawl your way down to Inverness, Florida for this exciting annual event.
Fun - Food - Music - Art, and of course Stone Crab Claws!
Join the festivities in downtown Crystal River as the streets come alive with music, food, crafts, art and FUN. Listen to the sounds of various bands as they perform on stages set up throughout the historic district of Crystal River. Sample the abundant fresh caught seafood and browse through the multitude of craft booths and shops as you stroll through the streets enjoying this special one day annual event. Come dance in the streets and enjoy all of what this fun event has to offer.
Sponsored by the Homosassa Civic Club, this event is held in November each year in the historic district of Old Homosassa. Art Exhibition Booths, Craft Booths, and vendors from the community offer their unique specialties including some of the finest seafood from our local waters. Be sure and click on the link above to read more about this spectacular Homosassa event now in its 37th year.
 Manatee Sanctuaries
Kings Bay went to slow & idle speed only for all boat traffic beginning on September 1st, as it does every year, as we prepare for the start of the migration of the West Indian Manatees that call Crystal River home during the winter months. Annually, on November 15th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will set up boundaries creating the manatee sanctuaries. These sanctuaries are necessary to provide a safe haven for the manatees where they can rest and feed undisturbed undisturbed in the warm spring fed waters. These areas are designated as no entry zones, off limits to human activity. They are in place for the duration of the winter season. Each year, the boundaries are set up on November 15th, and taken down on March 31st. During the 2010 manatee season, the sanctuaries were extended until April 15th due to the unusually cold weather, and the record number of manatees that arrived here to escape the cold waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Please be respectful of these boundaries whenever you are out on the water.
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Crystal River 
4th Annual 
