Silver Springs, FL, benefit for Florida Springs Institute

WWALS is a member of the Florida Springs Council (FSC), which is headquartered at Florida Springs Institute (FSI).

The Florida Springs Institute is hosting its end-of-year benefit at Silver Springs this year on December 11 from 6-9 p.m.

and we would like to extend an invitation to all FSC organizations and their members to join us for this fun-filled event. Our keynote speaker for the evening is the former SJRWMD and SWFWMD Executive Director and current author of the blog, SWFWMD Matters (http://swfwmdmatters.blogspot.com/), Emilio “Sonny” Vergara. Tickets for the event are $75 and include admission to Silver Springs State Park and the Silver River Museum, food and drinks, and an opportunity to meet and hear from well-known springs advocates. There will also be a silent auction and a raffle for a Silver River boat tour for 20 people! All proceeds will benefit the work of FSI, a nonprofit organization.

Silver Springs is a famous example of water problems throughout Florida and south Georgia. Greg Allen, NPR, 13 April 2013, Now Endangered, Florida’s Silver Springs Once Lured Tourists,

Even if you’ve never visited Silver Springs, you might have seen it. The 1960s television show Sea Hunt was filmed here, as were countless movies, including Tarzan and Creature From the Black Lagoon.

The crystal clear water of Silver Springs made it invaluable to Hollywood. Guy Marwick, the founder of the Silver River Museum, says it drew more than 1 million visitors a year….

Drought, development and excessive groundwater pumping have cut the amount of water flowing here in half. From the walkway that overlooks the head spring, the water is still blue and crystal clear, with fish, turtles and alligators clearly visible.

Alligators sun themselves along the waters of Silver Springs.i Alligators sun themselves along the waters of Silver Springs. Greg Allen/NPR But Robert Knight, director of the Florida Springs Institute, says look closer and you’ll see the problem: Pollution from agriculture and residential development has helped coat the spring with algae.

“This spring [it] was white on the bottom,” Knight says. “It was a sandy bottom and shells; it was just glistening. … Now, it’s green on the bottom because it’s covered with algae. It’s just not glowing at you the way it used to.”

When the park service takes over operations at Silver Springs, the rides and the reptile farm, with its two albino alligators, will be gone. But the signature attraction of the springs — its famous glass-bottom boats — will remain.

So if you’re south of Gainesville at that time, you may want to go.

Don’t forget you can also join join WWALS member without going anywhere. And you can come on any of the many WWALS outings.

-jsq