information packets geared for their specific grade level. Teachers can send away for

educator's guides; these guides cover a wealth of information about manatees, and give

ideas for lessons and activities, as well as strategies for teaching about the manatee. SMC

offers in service training to educators, and has speakers available to speak to classes.

SMC has produced: "Manatee Messages: What You Can Do!" an educational videotape

distributed to schools throughout Florida. This video provides a description of manatees,

and includes information on their behavior and habitat, conservation information, and

what students can do to help save manatees from extinction. The video is available in

elementary (grades K-5) and secondary (grades 6-12) formats.

 Children are the primary target audience of the Save the Manatee Education

Program. While there is no formal curriculum, information is geared to specific grade

levels, and teachers are given guides, as well as in-service training on how to teach about

the manatee. Literature shows that classroom programs are more effective when teachers

are given training, rather than just receiving printed material (Charles, 1988). Much of

the educational material is focused on the dangers of watercrafts to manatees, and how to

boat more safely. Reckless boating is identified as a problem behavior, yet children are

the main recipients of this message. When a target behavior is identified, education

should be targeted to the audience that performs that certain behavior. In this case, while

children respond well to classroom interventions, they are not the ones engaging in the

behavior that is harmful to manatees. Educational interventions should target a specific

audience and should focus on the behavior known to cause the conservation problem

(Ham & Krumpe, 1996). This educational program targets the behavior but not the

audience.