The US Fish and Wildlife Service has announced their intent to ban all paddle craft from the interior of 3 Sisters Spring in Crystal River, Florida during a substantial portion of the year.

While we support banning all activities when manatees are present, the USFWS has chosen only to ban paddle craft access while still allowing swimmers access. Paddlers may still access the spring after mooring their paddle craft and swimming in, however not all paddlers are capable of exiting and then re-entering their craft from a deep water mooring as is proposed and many of us do not believe swimming with an endangered species should be encouraged. A paddle sport landing that had originally been part of the access plan has now been eliminated.

We hereby request that the USFWS provide suitable paddle sport access to the springs as originally proposed (a kayak landing somewhere other than the springhead) without forcing paddlers to swim in and participate in a controversial activity that has the potential to harm manatees and create a further problem with overcrowding.