Save the Natachatee

During a 2004 public hearing concerning manatee protection, county Commissioner Natacha Seijas complained about a herd that kept popping up in the canal behind her Miami Lakes residence. "And as dumb as they always are they keep floating back and forth and I need DERM (the Department of Environment Resource Management) to come pick them up," Seijas groaned.

Her contempt for manatees hasn't helped her standing with local environmentalists, who are already upset with Seijas over her support for extending the urban development boundaries for builders. Of course, with Seijas facing a recall this December, I think she's the next mammal to go on the endangered species list. So it is my civic duty to ask Miami-Dade residents to do everything they can and donate six dollars to my "Save the Natachatee" campaign. I accept PayPal or money orders. As a token of my appreciation, I'll send you a bumper sticker fetauring the first-ever anonymous artist rendition of the Natachatee (above).-Francisco Alvarado