A Florida attorney fighting to save the manatees reflected on her mission to save the manatees while she was on an outing with her children. They were captivated when the lovable, round-tailed marine mammals poked their two little furry nostrils as they emerged from the water, exhaling with a “poof” sound.

But Jaclyn Lopez, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, fears her lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service might not be enough to preserve these animals for subsequent generations. The suit is focused on the service’s failure to designate for additional protection sufficient critical habitat areas the manatees need.