Manatee

An endangered and apparently wayward manatee, which is increasingly at risk of death in the cooling waters of Maryland's Eastern Shore, eluded the nets of wildlife experts yesterday in Queenstown Creek."

Rescue workers will try again today after failing yesterday to save a rare manatee that has been meandering through Chesapeake Bay-area waters for about two months.After being unsure where it was for a few days, wildlife specialists in boats and helicopters spotted the slow-swimming, pound mammal yesterday in shallow waters of the lower Chester River, north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.State and federal wildlife officials halted a nearly day-long rescue effort after a Florida expert determined that the normally docile animal was becoming stressed, said Frances Creswell, marine mammal stranding coordinator for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

A team of wildlife specialists set out yesterday to track down a misguided manatee, perhaps the first spotted north of the Potomac River, that has been swimming around the upper Chesapeake Bay for at least seven weeks.An effort to capture and return the docile animal to its warm Florida home could come as early as today, a federal official said.Wildlife specialists are concerned that recent heavy rains may have lowered the Chesapeake's water temperature to the point where it threatens the manatee's health.

KENT NARROWS -- The manatee -- Florida's official state marine mammal -- has turned up in Maryland waters for the first time.The state Department of Natural Resources is asking boaters near the Chester River and Eastern Bay to be on the lookout for, but not to approach, the 7- to 10-foot-long manatee, or "sea cow," sighted several times over the weekend.A large, aquatic creature found primarily in Florida's warm waters, the manatee is an endangered species. It surfaces to breathe and is susceptible to injury from boat hulls and propellers.

NEW ORLEANS -- George Washington was once considere a real hero -- dogged commander of the Continental Army, judicious first president.But here, in a city reconsidering its Southern past, there has been talk lately about George Washington, the slave owner.In New Orleans, people are debating whether public schools should be named after anyone who owned slaves. Even Washington.This kind of re-examination seems to be happening all over as women and members of different races and ethnicities gain political power and raise pointed questions about symbols of old and history's heroes.