WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — On a chilly January morning, a small crowd gathered along the balcony at Manatee Lagoon, eyes trained on the water below. Moments later, a rehabilitated manatee calf slipped back into the lagoon—her first return to the wild after being rescued nearly a year earlier.

The female calf, Jameson, was found suffering from cold stress in February 2025. After months of expert care at SeaWorld Orlando, she was released into the warm-water outflow of FPL’s Riviera Beach Next Generation Clean Energy Center next to Manatee Lagoon, where more than 100 manatees were gathered.

For decades, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has worked alongside state and federal agencies to help protect manatees, supporting conservation and research efforts aimed at understanding and safeguarding local populations.

For those watching, the moment was emotional. For Rachel Shanker, conservation and education manager at Manatee Lagoon, it was a reminder of why she has dedicated the last decade to this mission.

“It’s always so heartwarming to get to witness a rehabilitated manatee return to its natural habitat and get a second chance at life,” Shanker says. “But what really stands out is seeing the guests’ reactions. There are always happy tears. It really shows that the community cares just as deeply as we do.”

As Manatee Lagoon marks its 10-year anniversary, moments like Jameson’s release reflect the purpose behind the center and the mission that has shaped Shanker’s career from the start. Opened by FPL in 2016, Manatee Lagoon was created as part of the company’s environmental mission to educate the public and inspire communities to protect Florida’s environment and wildlife for future generations.

Shanker was there on opening day in 2016 when Manatee Lagoon first welcomed the community through its doors.

“Opening day wasn’t just about launching a new facility,” she says. “It was about creating a connection between people and nature.”

Located along the Lake Worth Lagoon, Manatee Lagoon offers visitors the chance to observe wild manatees up close while learning about their biology, habitats and the importance of protecting Florida’s ecosystems.

From the beginning, Shanker said, the center was designed as a place where conservation and community meet.

Shanker’s career with FPL began while she was an undergraduate biology student at Florida Atlantic University. She joined Manatee Lagoon as a Manatee Master, a role designed for college students interested in environmental education.

The position was intended to be temporary. Instead, it became formative, defining her career path.

“The longer I stayed, the more I realized this was where I wanted to be,” she says. “The Manatee Master role showed me how education and conservation could come together in a meaningful way.”

For Shanker, education is central to effective conservation.

She went on to earn a master’s degree in biology with a focus on teaching, combining scientific knowledge with public education.

“It’s definitely easier to care for something you know a lot about,” she says. “We really want to protect what we love.”

She’s seen that connection firsthand while watching visitors learn about manatees—sometimes through surprising details, like the fact that manatees have “marching molars” that are continuously replaced throughout their lives.

“The more people learn about manatees, the more deeply they fall in love with them and the more they want to protect them,” she says.

Manatees are considered an umbrella species, meaning efforts to protect them also benefit the broader ecosystems they depend on.

“By protecting manatees, you end up protecting everything that lives within that ecosystem,” Shanker explains. “It has this wonderful ripple effect.”

Over the past decade, Manatee Lagoon has welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors and engaged more than 118,000 participants through its educational programs. At least 57 students have participated in the Manatee Master program, many of whom have gone on to careers in conservation, education and environmental science.

Some of the most meaningful moments for Shanker come from seeing that impact come full circle.

“I now have Manatee Masters working for me who first visited Manatee Lagoon as kids,” she says. “They came here with their families, felt inspired, and years later returned, not just as visitors, but as educators.”

Seeing those team members now engage with new families and students is especially meaningful.

“It’s a powerful reminder that the work we do here doesn’t just educate visitors in the moment, it plants seeds that can grow into lifelong commitments to conservation,” she says.

As Manatee Lagoon has grown into a nationally recognized environmental education center over the past decade, Shanker’s role has evolved alongside it, from welcoming guests to leading conservation and education initiatives.

“It’s been one of the greatest privileges of my career,” she says. “I’ve grown alongside the center, and I’m very grateful to have been a part of this journey.”

Looking ahead, Shanker is focused on expanding educational opportunities and deepening community connections with the hope those connections last well beyond a single visit.

“I want people to leave Manatee Lagoon feeling empowered,” she says, “I want them to know their choices matter and that they have the power to protect manatees and our waterways for generations to come.”

Celebrating conservation and community

Join us at ManateeFest on Feb. 7 as Manatee Lagoon celebrates its 10th anniversary. The free, family-friendly event features interactive exhibits, educational activities and opportunities for visitors of all ages to learn more about manatees, the Lake Worth Lagoon and environmental conservation, while highlighting Florida Power & Light Company’s role in providing a warm-water refuge for manatees. For more information, visit www.visitmanateelagoon.com/manateefest.