Salt Springs swimming area is closed until Sept/Oct

Just noticed this while surfing the Internet.

Salt Springs swimming area was closed on April 14, 2008 for reconstruction purposes. I called up the Salt Springs Visitor Center and they said that it should re-open in September or October of this year.

Salt Springs Visitor Center
14100 N. State Highway 19
Salt Springs, FL 32134
Phone: (352) 685-3070
Hours: Open Thursday-Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Three Sisters Springs: a place of natural perfection

Published in Print May 31, 2008 (Letters to the Editor)
Various Comments made:
It made me so happy to read that Hal Flowers has decided not to develop the property. I wish it could remain as it is: perfect!

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I am very pleased to read that Hal Flowers is reconsidering his development plans. This will benefit the manatees. However, I am very skeptical of the Save the Manatees Club's vision of land-only observation.

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I am amazed at how caring and generous developer Hal Flowers is. He was so moved by the manatee's plight that he was willing to take a piece of property, that he paid $10.5-million at the height of the real estate madness and is now willing to dump it on the taxpaying public for only $15-million.

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More than 900,000 boats are registered in Florida and approximately 400,000 boats registered in other states use Florida's waterways. Obviously, with more than a million boats on the waters, we need strong manatee protection. Slowing down seems like such a small thing to ask in order to be able to share the waters with these unique animals.
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Misdiagnosing Peace River flow restoration?

Published 5/30/2008 (Opinion)
The Tampa Tribune report today on the efforts to restore flow in the Upper Peace River that it would take a reduction of something like 80 percent of water use here to allow the aquifer to recover enough to restore river flow, according to Swiftmud officials.

This argument revolves around whether Kissengen Spring can be made to flow again. The spring south of Bartow, quit flowing in 1950. It was the first time a second-magnitude Florida spring had ceased flowing. This foreshadowed all of the water problems and issues that have occurred since.
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Cool, clear waters attract thousands to Ichetucknee Springs

Published 5/30/2008
Thousands flocked to the cool, clear waters of Ichetucknee Springs this Memorial Day weekend, a weekend that kicked off the opening of Ichetucknee Springs where visitors can rent multi-colored tubes and float down the spring-fed river. Jumping off the dock into the water was popular (above ) as was just enjoying the warm, sunny weather (right and left).Thousands flocked to the cool, clear waters of Ichetucknee Springs this Memorial Day weekend, a weekend that kicked off the opening of Ichetucknee Springs where visitors can rent multi-colored tubes and float down the spring-fed river. Jumping off the dock into the water was popular
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Outdoor Calendar

Published May 30, 2008
Chipola River Canoe Trip: June 14. Are you looking for a great way to cool off on a hot summer day? Join us for a leisurely paddle on the Chipola River. Don't forget to bring snacks, plenty of water and sun protection. Afterward we will stop at one of the local restaurants for a late lunch/early inner. Contact: Gwen Beatty gfbeatty@yahoo.com (850) 942-7165.

Wakulla River Canoe Trip: June 21. We will put in at S.R. 365 and canoe this wild, scenic river about six miles to the St. Marks Boat Club. Easy paddling. We should see various birds, with a good chance of seeing alligators and manatees. Bring lunch, water, bug spray, sun screen, and binoculars. Top off the trip with swimming at the Boat Club beach. Limit: 8 canoes. Contact: Paull Kirkpatrick (850) 894-3224.
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Injured manatee helps developer have change of heart

Published May 29, 2008
The Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, is known as the best place in Central Florida to view manatees.

...the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified Three Sisters as the most important land acquisition priority in the Southeast.

Three Sisters Springs feeds into Kings Bay in Citrus County. In wintertime its waters are popular with manatees and manatee-watchers.

Note: Article includes nice aerial view of Three Sisters Springs
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Nelson wades into watery woes

Published May 29, 2008
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson had a front seat Wednesday to North Florida's version of the water wars.

Nelson, a Democrat, started the day by meeting environmental advocates who urged him to stop water-bottling plants and growing Florida communities farther south from tapping the north's water.

He ended with a boat trip launched from Fanning Springs - where the depleted flow of the former first-magnitude spring has been linked to excessive groundwater pumping.

But Florida Geological Survey geologist Tom Greenhalgh said measurements since 1997 show the spring has averaged about 71 cubic feet per second. He said dry weather conditions are a major factor, but a contributing reason is groundwater pumping in the area that is permitted to average 60 million gallons pumped per day.

"I don't perceive Fanning ever being first-magnitude again," Greenhalgh said
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Volunteers important to Wekiva River Basin State Parks

Published May 29, 2008
Because of Tallahassee's tight budget, volunteers are needed now more than ever, said Anne James, a park-services specialist and volunteer coordinator for the Wekiva River Basin State Parks, which includes Wekiwa Springs State Park, the Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park and Rock Springs Run State Preserve.

Wekiva rangers and visitors are fortunate to have the Wekiva Wilderness Trust looking out for their interests and the health of the parks, James said.

To inquire about volunteering with the Wekiva River Basin State Parks, call 407-884-2006 and ask for James.
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Protect Florida Springs License Plate

The Florida License Plate is now available for purchase. Click link below for more details.

Florida's Springs are severely threatened due to contamination, damming, development of shorelines and recharge area, and in particular, reduced water flow as a consequence of water extraction for municipalities, agriculture, golf courses, and bottled water. Funds collected support these efforts as well as a Springs Grants Program, which supports on-going community based initiaitves aimed at springs restoration, potection, and education around the state.
gugnpz
Purchase Online

Fans of river withdrawal have minds firmly closed

Published 5/29/08 (Opinion)
The St. Johns River Water Management District assures those of us living along the river before it empties into the Atlantic Ocean that plans to withdraw up to 262 million gallons of water a day won't go forward if studies show the river's health would be harmed.

That's not the same message Central Florida is receiving. The Brevard Water Supply Board passed a resolution last month "supporting the St. Johns River Water Management District's efforts to fully develop the St. Johns River as a supply source ..."
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Plug Porter sink and help protect the aquifer

Published May 29, 2008 (Opinion)
Porter sinkhole penetrates the clay layer that allows the lake to be perched. Water flowing down the sinkhole, when the sinkhole has water over it, has been measured at 7 million to 9 million gallons per day. This loss of water down the sinkhole amounts to as much as 3 feet of water level per year that could be filling the lake.

Porter sinkhole penetrates the clay layer that allows the lake to be perched. Water flowing down the sinkhole, when the sinkhole has water over it, has been measured at 7 million to 9 million gallons per day. This loss of water down the sinkhole amounts to as much as 3 feet of water level per year that could be filling the lake.
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Geologists view Peace River’s collapse

Published May 27, 2008
With an historical output of 20 million gallons per day, Kissengen Spring would have been classified as a magnitude-two spring today, a category worthy of state protection.

But, it ceased continuous flow in 1950 as the result of excessive groundwater pumping, according to studies by the Florida Geological Survey. The water was withdrawn primarily for phosphate mining, which was booming in the area at the time.

The mining operations consumed 75 million gallons of water per day — more than twice the demand of all other users in Polk County combined — and had installed wells as large as 24 inches in diameter near the spring, according to a 1951 FGS and other reports.
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Exploration Award Presented to KUR

Published May 28, 2008
This May, at the 2008 NSS-CDS Annual Workshop, the NSS-CDS awarded the Weeki Wachee Karst Project with the 2008 NSS-CDS Exploration Award. KUR directors Walter Pickel and Brett Hemphill were present to accept the award and other members of the Weeki Wachee Exploration Team were also present at the ceremony. This award is greatly appreciated and testifies to the amount of hard work and energy that has been put into this project by each of the team members.
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Additional parking may be in future for Blue Springs park

Published: May 27, 2008
Opening day at Blue Springs park drew more than 2,000 people, a crowd so large that the gates had to be closed from time to time in the afternoon because there wasn’t enough parking.

Jackson County Parks and Recreation Director Chuck Hatcher said he hopes that problem will be a thing of the past by next summer.

He’s heard, but hasn’t officially received word on paper, that legislators approved partial funding of a grant to expand parking and make other improvements to the park.

The county had asked for a $200,000 Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grant, but Hatcher has been told the county has been approved for $135,000, the balance trimmed away in a round of budget-cutting.
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Sen. Nelson shown effects of low flow on Apalachicola River

Published May 27, 2008
Sen. Bill Nelson saw the dry shoals along the Apalachicola River where rare mussels should be thriving and the shrunken pools which should be filled with stripped bass, and promised Tuesday to do what he can to help get more water released into the waterway.

Nelson traveled 25 miles of the river, which provides spawning areas for protected sturgeon and the freshwater needed to help oysters survive in Apalachicola Bay, seeing how the decision to hold more water in Georgia is hurting life downstream in Florida.

The river is six feet below what it would normally be during a dry season, Nelson was told. Some areas where fish spawn are being exposed for the first time. And the lack of fresh water flowing into the Apalachicola Bay is hurting shrimp and oyster populations. Species that normally remain in the Gulf of Mexico are being found in the bay and upriver as salinity levels rise.
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Officials: Reconsider Restoring Kissengen Spring

Published 5/27/2008
Water management district officials advised a Peace River oversight committee of the district’s strategies to recover the flow of the upper portion of the river, which is now disappearing down a series of sinkholes and crevices.

...the spring ceased flowing in the 1950s and ’60s because of overpumping, primarily for phosphate mining. Pumping for agricultural and public supply has increased since, keeping the aquifer depleted.
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Background Info:
Kissengen Spring(PDF)

Picture of Measuring Stick at Kissengen Spring. It was placed by the U.S. Geological Survey to show water levels. If they reached 83 feet, water would once again spill into the Peace River. It's been under that since the 1950s.
Picture

Conversion of land to help St. Johns River

Published May 26, 2008
The conversion of 10,000 acres of agricultural land in Indian County to open water and marsh communities will improve water supply, flood protection, and water quality in the Upper St. Johns River Basin.

The creation of the Fellsmere Water Management Area will also provide recreational and habitat benefits to the area, which is just east of the St. Johns River Water Management Area and known to anglers as the Stick Marsh.
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Fishing along the St. Johns river can be rewarding

May 27, 2008
The slow-moving river, the largest in Florida (approximately 310 miles long), offers a wide variety of species to catch. The river, which flows north, begins in Indian River County and meets the Atlantic Ocean in Duval County.

Mullet are common through the river, especially during their spring and fall runs up and down the coast. But redfish, flounder, snook and tarpon can also be found in the river. The further north you go, the more common the saltwater species
are.
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Environmentalists step up efforts for funding in Florida despite downturn

Published May 27, 2008
Florida's acclaimed program for buying environmental lands managed to avoid the ax of a budget-slashing Legislature this spring.

The state's Florida Forever program and the decade-long Preservation 2000 program that began in 1990 have armed state land agents with $300 million annually. The two programs so far have purchased a combined 2.4 million acres.

Land bought by Florida typically becomes state forest, parkland, protected wildlife habitat or conservation corridors along ecological treasures such as the St. Johns River.
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Protection Zone proposed to safeguard Wakulla Springs, but some Woodville residents wary of development

Published May 27, 2008
Now, efforts to protect Wakulla Springs by limiting septic-tank effluents could make sewer service a reality.

The Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department is proposing a Primary Springs Protection Zone, extending from south of Orange Avenue to the Wakulla County line, that would give residential developers incentives to pay for sewer installation.

Developers would be allowed to build more units per acre in Woodville once sewer is available. For areas where sewer isn't available, the proposal calls for strengthening septic-tank regulations.
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Marianna's Caves Draw Divers

Published May 26, 2008
The City of Marianna hosted divers from as far away as South Africa, New Zealand, and Brazil at a national cave diving convention this Memorial Day weekend. Official numbers haven't been tabulated yet, but divers say there were well over 300 of them taking advantage of Marianna's Blue Springs and the Mill Pond.

"We're getting about 100 divers a month - about 1200 a year. That impact alone is close to a million dollars in economic benefit," Art Kimbrough with the Chamber says.
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"Florida's Rivers" is a look at the history and ecology of our state rivers

5/26/08 (Book Review)
Charles Boning, a man of many talents (he's a lawyer who not only is also an accomplished naturalist and writer, but even an astute photographer) has written a book entitled Florida's Rivers which, living up to its name, is an overview of all the major rivers of the state, organized by region

The real treat though is to sit down and read Florida's Rivers cover-to-cover and thus gain the benefit of a short course in the history and ecology of Floridian rivers and riparian environments. While Boning doesn't spend too much time on any one river-in a mere 230-some pages he really doesn't have room to-he offers a strong overview of all the state's major rivers in a manner that is easy to follow. Plant and animal life, recreation, and history are all addressed in the river-specific entries.
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Jackson County Attracts Cave Divers

Published May 25, 2008
"Jackson County has blind salamander- the only place in the world other than Georgia that has that species so there's a lot of scientific value," said Jessop.

Residents know Blue Springs as a swimming hole, but its becoming internationally known for cave diving.

Cave diving is an emerging tourism industry in Jackson County. 1,000 to 1,200 divers each year bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the area.
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Mayo man encounters sturgeon on Suwannee

Published 5/26/2008
A Mayo man was slightly injured Friday when he was struck by a jumping sturgeon on the Suwannee River. This is the first reported sturgeon strike in 2008.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officers, Brian Mosley was boating one mile south of Ivey Park in Branford when a sturgeon leapt in front of his boat.

Mosley ducked, and the fish hit the boat’s cowling, striking Mosley on the back and bruising him slightly. Mosley declined medical services.

To report sturgeon collisions, call 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
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Student videos push to save St. Johns

Published 5/25/2008
The St. Johns Riverkeeper asked area high school students to submit 60-second public service announcements addressing the importance of protecting our rivers.

Twenty submissions were sent from several counties across Florida. Five of the top six submissions were from counties in Central Florida, Orth said. The winner will receive $1,000.

Go to jacksonville.com/riverkeeper to vote for your favorite public service announcement.
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Scuba group descends with 'Sea Hunt'-era gear

Published May 25, 2008
A group of passionate scuba divers took a dream descent on Saturday in honor of a popular 1950s television series filmed at the Silver Springs attraction.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the underwater adventure show, "Sea Hunt." The show, which starred Lloyd Bridges as scuba hero Mike Nelson, was filmed largely at a Silver River spring that has been closed to recreational divers for roughly 40 years.
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Out into the wild

Published 05/25/08
Juniper Springs Run is a writhing snake of crystalline water. It carves its track through some of Florida's most exotic wilderness. It's as wild as a water moccasin, though not deadly. But, like a snake, Juniper Springs Run can bite you if you aren't prepared to play by its rules.

Juniper Springs State Park is located about 40 miles south of Palatka, in the heart of the Ocala National Forest.

The headwaters of the Run are a beautiful second magnitude spring with two main boils and an old mill house that used to harness the spring run to generate electricity. It's a beautiful swimming hole. Camping is available, and there's a small store with food and bathrooms. There also are picnic facilities and a small museum. Canoe rentals are available with a take-out service.

More info:
http://www.camprrm.com/Florida%20Campgrounds.htm
Contact Phone Number (352) 625-3147
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Our position: Central Florida lawns will be OK with weekly watering

Published May 25, 2008 (Editorial)
It's not part of the revised water-conservation program that Orange County adopted last week. But the suggestion county planners and commissioners made requiring once-a-week lawn watering from November to March is making quite the splash.

The St. Johns River Water Management District, which guards the water supply from Jacksonville to Orlando, says it intends to impose the restriction on governments, businesses and residents, probably beginning in 2009.
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Oysterman Caught in Water Wars

Published 5/25/2008
Longtime oysterman Keith Millender sees every shower taken or car washed in metropolitan Atlanta as a small threat to his family, which has harvested seafood from northwest Florida's Apalachicola Bay for generations.

The Apalachicola River -- which carries water more than 300 miles from Georgia's Lake Lanier into the bay, providing the delicate balance of freshwater and saltwater oysters need to thrive -- is running dry.

Oystering is a $10 million industry in Florida, with about 1,200 licensed harvesters and 25 processing houses in the Apalachicola
area.
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12th annual St. Johns River cleanup on June 7

Published May 24, 2008
Volunteers from across the area will hit the St. Johns River on foot and by boat June 7 for the river cleanup.

Civic groups, youth groups, boaters and individuals can participate by removing trash and debris at 11 locations along the river from Pierson to Osteen. The event takes place in conjunction with a national river cleanup that will see thousands of volunteers working across the country.

To get a free commemorative T-shirt, preregistration is required. For more information and to preregister, please contact Tom Carey at 386-736-5927, ext. 2073.

Register for the event: http://volusia.org/cleanup/stjohns.htm
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Officials tour Rainbow with eye to protect

Published May 24, 2008
Protecting the delicate environment of the Rainbow River while still allowing recreational use of the stream is a tricky balancing act.

On Friday, a group of local officials, environmentalists and state resource managers took a tour along the river that highlighted the challenges of striking that balance.

While there was wildlife all around, there were also signs of growing environmental troubles for the river. Algae has bloomed at the head springs. Boat propellers have scarred the grass bed on the river's bottom. The high water mark on cypress trees along the banks is well above the river's current level. Chris Zajac, an environmental scientist with Swiftmud, said flow from the spring is 100 million gallons per day below historic levels due to an ongoing drought. He said nitrate levels have doubled in the last six years.
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High Bacterial Levels Close Rock Springs At Kelly Park

Published May 23, 2008
Just in time for Memorial Day weekend, a local swimming area has been closed because of high bacterial levels in the water.

On Friday, the Florida Department of Health closed Rock Springs at Kelly Park until further notice. The picnic area and campgrounds will remain open.

Further tests will be conducted on a weekly basis to determine when the springs can reopen.
Google Cache

Area parks gear up for big Memorial Day weekend

Published 5/23/2008
Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the busy season for local parks.

Poe Springs, which opens every day at 9 a.m. and closes at sunset, is located off of County Road 340 (Poe Springs Road).

The park is owned by Alachua County and has a softball field, volleyball courts and playground. The park also offers water tubing and canoeing along the Santa Fe River
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St. Marks River American Heritage Trip

Leave T~n~T at 9 a.m. to put in at the St. Marks River in Newport for a four-hour guided American Heritage Trip. Learn about the history along the St. Marks River by a TCC Certified Green Guide. $50 per person includes kayak rental. Reservations required. 925-6412.

More Info:
http://www.tnthideaway.com/
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Bridge over Withlacoochee will link nature trails

Published May 23, 2008
The state Office of Greenways and Trails is going to build a multi-use trail bridge designed to resemble the old railroad bridge it replaces over the Withlacoochee River.

The agency also is adding a total of three miles of paved trail to the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway on either side of the bridge. The trail will pass through the southwest corner of the Blue Run of Dunnellon Park.
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St. Johns Oil Spill to be Cleaned by Weekend

Published 5/23/08
JEA says an oil spill in the St. Johns River should be cleaned up by the weekend.

When a construction company hammeriing pilings into the St. Johns River accidentally cut into a JEA power line, it didn't hit electricity, it hit oil.

The best estimate is a couple hundred gallons were slowly released throughout the day Thursday, but the oil is mineral based and not dangerous.
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Corridor picked for power lines

Published 5/22/2008
Progress Energy selects southern route that doesn't go over Rainbow River.

Progress Energy Florida will follow existing transmission line corridors when it builds new lines to serve a proposed nuclear plant in Levy County.
Google Cache

Wastewater may face usage rules

Published 05/21/08
Neighborhoods using recycled wastewater on their lawns and golf courses could have the same watering restrictions as the rest of Northeast Florida soon.

The St. Johns River Water Management District says the recycled water, piped from sewage treatment plants back to neighborhoods built with separate reuse irrigation lines, is a resource that needs to be conserved just like groundwater.
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