caring for your spring

Eric Hutcheson collecting survey data.
Photo by Kristi Bernot

Silver Glen Springs

This section can hardly avoid becoming preachy, so I will keep it short.   It can be divided into two parts; what we do at the springs and what we do back at home, in the springsheds.

Around the springs, don’t litter, and pick up other peoples litter; it keeps springs open.  Do not feed the wildlife, especially the alligators, because they become dangerous and will have to be killed.

Waders and swimmers, don’t trample the aquatic plants, for they are the base of the food chain.  If you care for the plants the park managers may not have to close the area for restoration.

Johnny Dame
Silver Glen Well, 1995

Snorkelers, please, relax and keep your faces in the water.  When you lift your face out of the water your body goes vertical and your pumping fins blast the bottom, destroying vegetation and stirring up silt, creating much ill-will.  So keep your faces in the water and breathe through your snorkels.  You will then be able to look around underwater, which is the whole point of snorkeling.

How should we behave at home?  Simple.  Don’t waste water.  We all know how to do this.  But pay special attention to the lawn, the great unnecessary consumer of water.  Limit personal use of chemicals, including fertilizers.  They are showing up in ever higher concentrations in groundwater.  And don’t vote for politicians who value growth at any cost and will not say no to business, including agriculture, when necessary.  Greed destroys springs.

Look Into the Eye
Photo by John Moran

Finally, support conservation efforts.   Join the St. Johns River Alliance, a non-profit dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting “America’s First River”

Or join the St. Johns Riverkeeper, another non-profit dedicated to saving the St. Johns.    Better yet, support both.  Protecting the St. Johns is important, because Silver Glen and the river are connected.  When one suffers, the other does too.

Support the Florida Springs Institute, a non-profit dedicated to supporting springs science and education necessary for restoration and wise management.

All three of the above organizations will keep you up to date on news, events, and public policy.