Topic: Sea Manatees

Thesis: The objective of this speech is to persuade each listener to: help save the sea manatees

Introduction (Gain Attention)

           -- Seaworld has predicted (with current conditions) that within the next fifty years over half of the manatee population will have died. 

           -- Sea Manatees are gentle creatures that help keep our waterways clean and they aid in keeping underwater vegetation alive

           -- I have research sea manatees and the threats to their livelihood as well as how to help save them 

           -- I'm going to talk about the endangerment of sea manatees, how to prevent the extinction of the animal, and the good that will come from preserving this creature.                       

Transition: Lets talk about our problem.

Body

I. Sea Manatees are becoming extinct due to the many threats humans unknowingly provide.  (Problem)

a.      Pollution, boating and reduction of habitat 

1.                --These are the main causes of death for manatees and they are all caused by careless humans (manatee center)

2.                --Littering, fertilizers near water, boats run into/hit with propellers. 

b.    Mortality rates

1.              -- 22% of manatee deaths a year are caused by watercraft accidents (seaworld)

2.              --The total mortality rate for Florida manatees has risen an average of 5.3% every year since 1976.(seaworld)

Transition: Now lets find out how to help.

II. There are many things concerned citizens can do to help prevent the extinction of manatees. (Solution)

           a.       Be more aware of your actions, especially near water.

1.   Don't litter, use less fertilizer near water, drive boats responsible

2.  Boaters should wear polarized sunglasses, which will help you see below the water's surface; avoid boating over shallow seagrass beds (where manatees feed), follow speed signs (manatee zones)

b.  There are many ways to donate to the cause.

1.                         --WWF donations

2.                         --Chaser merchandice (JCPenny, build-a-bear workshop, Dial pure &natural line (biodegradable, recycled), barnes & noble calander, checks, stamps, coinstar, etc. (WWF)

Transition: Now that we talked about what to do, lets look at what will happen as a result.

III. Sea manatees would be able to come out of endangerment. (Benefits)

a. If everyone helped even in the smallest way, a big change would take place.

1.                                   --Manatees keep our waterways clean and our underwater vegetation flourished.

2.                                   --Many other animals rely on these grass beds that manatees maintain for shelter (seaworld)

b.  Domino effect

1.                               --Saving manatees will in turn save countless other creatures that rely on them for the up keep of their homes

2.                               --many of these creatures (various fish, shrimp, turtles, etc.) are useful to people as well

Transition: Now that we know what we have to lose if sea manatees are extinct, lets recap what we just learned.

Conclusion (Call to Action)

-- We talked about what is happening to the manatees (people are killing them), how to stop it from happening (be more aware), and how much better the world would be if everyone took action

--Please don't let the Sea Manatees  die.

(Pass out papers with Sea Manatee Protection Information)

References

Save the Manatee Information. (2006, July). Retrieved September 23, 2008, from http://www.savethemanatee.org/info.htm

The Manatee. (2007, February). Retrieved on September 23, 2008, from http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5960/manatee.html

Florida Manatee. (2007, March). Retrieved on September 23, 2008, from http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/manatee.php