Hope Springs Eternal

Saturday, February 16th is another Speak Up for Florida's Waters event at Wekiwa Springs State Park. Similar to the event I attended last summer at Silver Springs, speakers once again include former Florida Governor Bob Graham and newly-elected Seminole County Commissioner Lee Constantine. Much has happened since the first rally, and the event seems like a good marker for a review.

Newspapers across the state have documented the condition of Florida's waters and writers from Kevin Spears in the Orlando Sentinel to Craig Pittman in the Tampa Bay Times have penned multi-story series revealing how we've allowed the quality and quantity of our state's most precious resource to decline. The permit to withdraw water for a massive cattle farm in Marion County, the Adena Springs Ranch, has not been granted and  environmentalists continue to to reveal how it would threaten the health of Silver Springs. Speaking of Silver Springs, the state has decided to assume control of the grandfather of all Florida attractions and turn Silver Springs into a state park this fall. While this move alone cannot improve the health of the springs, it surely cannot hurt and many of the exotic animals on display will soon have new homes.

It is unlikely the zoo-like aspects of the Silver Springs attraction
will be continued as it transitions to a state park

My work involving Florida's springs has continued; my book is being printed and should be in my hands in a couple months (and it's now on Amazon!) I have tentatively set up three speaking gigs and continue to work on my presentation abilities. My exhibit entitled "Finding the Fountain of Youth: The Myth of Florida's Magical Waters" is currently in production and will open on March 23rd at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Right now I'm knee-deep in the creation of companion exhibit entitled "Springs Eternal: Florida's Forgotten Fountains of Youth" featuring the works of John Moran. Another exciting component related to this project is called the "Urban Aquifer"; it features bus wraps of Florida springs on as many as nine Gainesville buses. Created by artist Lesley Gamble, the buses will highlight the Spring Eternal website that will act as a portal for all Florida springs advocacy groups and contain information about the recreational opportunities at all the springs.

This work has kept me chained to my desk for much of 2012 and the early part of this year. I have however, made several forays to Florida springs. Here are photos from some of those trips; hopefully these show some of the beauty of these sacred places and how important they are to Floridians... let us hope we collectively have the will to save these remarkable resources.

Spring-fed Whitewater Branch in Ravine Gardens State Park in Palatka

Reflected clouds in the waters of a side run near Rock Springs

Fun at Rock Springs Run, at Orange County's Kelly Park

The annual cardboard boat race at Rock Springs

John Moran photographs the action 

A summer day at Rock Springs

A hidden treasure: Ginger Ale Springs in Seminole County

Ginger Ale Springs

The spring run at DeLeon Springs in Volusia County

Manatee at DeLeon Springs

Fern Hammock Springs in the Ocala National Forest

The spring-fed Little Wekiva River

Floating algae in Wekiwa Springs

The State of Springs

I headed out early this Saturday to visit some of the springs closest to my home. I don't usually do much in-state adventuring during the summer months because: 1.) it's too damn hot and 2.) the light is usually crappy. But I was itching to take some pictures and I was really tired of hearing politicians talking about abandoning "cumbersome" environmental regulations and I wanted to see people enjoying the environment they are so willing to forsake.

Wekiva Springs
The closest spring to my house is Wekiva Springs State Park and I hit I-4 early enough to get there in just about 30 minutes. Wekiva Springs has been a favorite recreational spot for Central Floridians for a very long time: it was originally know as Clay Springs and the Orange County Regional History Center has great images of Victorian Floridians trying to beat the heat there. Home to one of my favorite canoe runs, I hadn't visited the springs themselves in several years.

I got to the park 15 minutes after opening and found a small group of tri-atheletes swimming in the clear blue waters. Otherwise I beat the crowds that usually cover the lawn surrounding the bowl-like swimming area with blankets, coolers and lawn chairs. It was very peaceful briefly, but the folks were streaming in rapidly to make the most of the last Saturday of summer before the public schools started.

Orange County Regional History Center

Rock Springs

Next up was Rock Springs, which I am embarrassed to say, I had never visited before. The entrance to this spring was through Orange County's Kelly Park, and I didn't beat the crowd here. In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was the most crowded county park I've ever visited. But the facilities seemed to handle it well, and it was refreshing to see all sorts of folks enjoying the natural side of Florida.

Rock Springs was originally owned by planter from Georgia named Joseph Delk who moved there with a few slaves in the 1850s. After he passed away the land was sold to a lumber company and the property eventually made its way to the hands of Dr. Howard Kelly who donated the site to Orange County in 1926. On Saturday, the 248 acre park was a lively place as kids of all ages, (adults too), grabbed inner tubes and walked down to the rocky cliff where the water emerges from the aquifer. From there it's a 25 minute float to "lagoon" areas with sandy beaches. It's kind of like lazy river attraction at a water park, except mother nature provides the current. I can't wait to go back another time and try it out.

Green Springs

Soon I was soon back on the road cutting through Mt. Plymouth to get back to I-4 and cross the St. Johns River to get to Volusia County and my next two springs. Next up was the appropriately named Green Springs, a Volusia County Park, where 19th century visitors "took the waters" in hopes of healing their ailments in the sulphurous spring. Coming by steamboat to the area that was to be known as Enterprise on the north side of the River, guest stayed at the 100 room Brock Hotel, one of Florida's premier destination in the post Civil War era.

Today the hotel is long gone and the park surrounding the spring is only 3 years old. The emerald green waters of the spring don't have a boil like most typical Florida Springs, and I had little desire to "take the waters", yet it is a fascinating historical site and has beautiful, peaceful quality. The shady road along the river leading to the park is gorgeous.

Brock Hotel from the State Archives of Florida

Gemini Springs

My final stop was Gemini Springs, which is a 210 acre Volusia County Park. The spring itself is much smaller compared to the massive boil at Wekiva, but I was pleased to find it magnificently illuminated by serendipitous light rays. I also found evidence of the algae growth that I had seen in abundance further north at DeLeon and Silver Springs, and was not surprised. Both Wekiva and Rock Springs had signs created by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection with the following copy: "The clean, clear waters of Florida's springs provide a variety of recreational uses, including tubing, swimming, canoeing, and nature study. However, the health of our springs is threatened by human activities: Pollution from fertilizers, pesticides, animal wastes, septic tanks, gasoline, industrial wastes, and other contaminates pollute the water in our aquifer – our drinking water – and ultimately pollute the springs. Withdrawal of water from the aquifer for irrigation, drinking and industrial uses can reduce the flow of the spring."

Florida's first human inhabitants found sacredness in these waters. On the Saturday I visited these four Central Florida springs, they were all being enjoyed; I saw people having picnics, swimming, tubing, and exploring. I think these sacred waters are places that connect Floridians to the environment, and that the people of our state would support their preservation for future generations to enjoy.