Welcome to the Springs Eternal Project
Our Water, Our Future
For a list of what we can do now to save our springs:
The Springs Eternal Project
A letter from founder Lesley Gamble
The Springs Eternal Project is an evolving series of creative partnerships initiated by Lesley Gamble, John Moran and Rick Kilby in collaboration with a diverse community of springs scientists, researchers, artists and advocates. Our goal is to inspire Floridians to value our springs and the diverse ecosystems they support as fundamental to the health and wellbeing of us all, human and non-human; to redefine these relationships in socially just and ecologically sustainable terms; and to work collaboratively to conserve, restore and protect Florida’s precious waters for our children and theirs, for generations to come.
The Springs Eternal Project is a celebration of the springs we were given, a meditation on the springs we could lose, and an invitation to the people of Florida to fall in love with our springs all over again, mindful that the choices we make today foretell the Florida of tomorrow.
The Springs Eternal Project is a celebration of the springs we were given, a meditation on the springs we could lose, and an invitation to the people of Florida to fall in love with our springs all over again, mindful that the choices we make today foretell the Florida of tomorrow.
Explore a wealth of stories, images and information about our Florida springs and aquifer. Access the experience and wisdom of a diverse group of people, all passionately committed to researching, enjoying and protecting Florida’s water. Discover why these springs are worth protecting and actions we can take, individually and collectively, to restore our springs and aquifer to vibrant, clear and sustainable health.
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The individual springs featured here are selected from John Moran’s exhibition Springs Eternal, Rick Kilby’s Finding the Fountain of Youth, and Lesley Gamble’s Urban Aquifer: Vehicles to Think With. Click on the menu to the right, or on “featured springs” in the bar above to access a drop-down menu with links to each spring.
When Moran poses the question, “Who speaks for our springs?” it’s an invitation to you, to me, to all of us.
The first step is to listen to the springs themselves, to their many intricate languages: visual, biological, hydrological, geological. If you haven’t done so recently, visit a spring and Dive In! Enter the flickering prisms of light, drift with the pulsing eel grass or dart like a turtle through glittering fish. You might encounter a manatee, an otter, or the mysterious fabrications of nocturnal beavers. It’s still a glorious experience. But conditions aren’t what they should be. Suffering from pollution and loss of flow, our springs have a lot to tell us about the state of water here in Florida.
Next, listen to the humanvoices of the springs, the people who’ve been researching, representing and caring for our springs and Floridan Aquifer intimately, inside and out, for many years now. There’s a wealth of wisdom and experience in these pages. Contributors include biologists, hydrogeologists, environmental scientists, cave divers, artists, business owners, journalists, naturalists, springs advocates, government agency researchers and writers —people, perhaps like you, who are passionate about our springs and the Floridan Aquifer.
Finally, decide for yourselfhow you wish to respond to the current conditions. Will you be a voice? Will you speak up for our springs?
If your answer is yes, ask yourself how you can best use your time and talents on their behalf. Write and share a song or a story, create an app, stitch a quilt, paint a picture, take a photograph, make a video, contact your legislators, change your water habits to conserve more, join an advocacy group, adopt a spring, adopt a legislator, sponsor springs research, talk to your families/friends/co-workers/church members, support leaders who actively support protecting and restoring springs—and don’t forget to vote!
There are as many options as people who care. Right now, our springs need the best efforts of us all. We hope you’ll become a voice for our springs, too.
–Lesley Gamble
Featured Springs
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![Half-above, half-below view of a Florida spring showing clear turquoise water and a deep spring vent below, with trees and blue sky along the shoreline above.]()
Poe Springs
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![Clear blue Florida spring surrounded by trees, with sunlight filtering through the forest and reflecting on the calm water’s surface.]()
Ginnie Springs
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![Diver jumping from a high platform into clear water at Silver Springs with docks and boats nearby.]()
Silver Springs
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![Clear Florida spring with turquoise water, surrounded by lush greenery and palm trees, with a small swimming area and dock visible in the distance.]()
Rainbow Springs
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![Several manatees rest in the clear, shallow water of Manatee Springs, surrounded by cypress trees and viewed from a wooden boardwalk.]()
Manatee Springs
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![Half-above, half-below view of a Florida spring showing clear turquoise water and a deep spring vent below, with trees and blue sky along the shoreline above.]()
Silver Glen Springs
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![Clear spring pool at Juniper Springs with visible sand boils beneath the surface, surrounded by lush forest and a wooden footbridge in the background.]()
Juniper Springs
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![Glowing blue spring at dusk surrounded by forest, with soft flowing water illuminated from below and fireflies flickering among the trees.]()
Ichetucknee Springs
Lesley Gamble’s Urban Aquifer debuts at the Florida Museum of Natural History Gainesville, FL. April 20th 2013
Where Endless Meets Disappearing
Peacock Spring 1, Luraville, FL
Photo by Lesley Gamble
Blue Planet, Cypress Springs, 2021 Photo by John Moran
Ichetucknee Turtle
Photo by John Moran
Swimming Through Air
Lesley Gamble’s springs video, debuted at the Phillips Center as part of the Gainesville Orchestra’s season finale concert, “Nature’s Eden.”
Underwater footage from a freshwater spring shows a manatee, fish, turtles, and aquatic plants moving slowly through clear blue and green water. The scenes shift from close-up wildlife to wide views of grasses and schools of fish, all accompanied by orchestral music. The video ends with a dedication and the title Swimming Through Air.
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The video presents underwater footage from a freshwater spring, accompanied by orchestral music that begins with soft strings and wind instruments.
A manatee appears in close-up, swimming slowly past the camera. Its rounded face, flippers, and textured skin are visible as it glides through green-blue water.
The scene shifts to a fish swimming among rocks covered in algae. Small aquatic plants appear next, with tiny fish moving among their leaves. A close-up shows submerged branches, followed by green, grass-like plants with small snails attached to the leaves.
A fish moves through open blue water. The surface of the spring appears above, with light ripples moving across it.
A turtle swims near rock formations, followed by several turtles seen from below as they rise toward the surface and lift their heads for air.
Reddish aquatic leaves fill the frame. A school of fish swims above a grassy bottom and a fallen log. Bush-like red plants and long green grasses sway in the current.
Leaves float at the water’s surface. More turtles move through dense green vegetation. A large school of fish gathers and swims in a circular formation.
A turtle moves quickly into seagrass. Tall grasses sway rhythmically in the current, resembling wind moving through grass on land.
Fish continue to swim through mixed vegetation along the bottom. More turtles pass close to the camera.
The video ends with a view of the water’s surface, where light ripples above rocks below.
Text appears on screen reading, “for Maddie and Wes.”
Additional text appears with names including “Mousie Steele, John Stich, and Layne Redmond.”
The title “Swimming Through Air” appears, followed by additional credits.
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