In the top photo, Sen. Graham addresses some 1,200 supporters who turned out for the "Speak Up, Wekiva!" Rally at Wekiwa Springs State Park recently. The rally followed the success of an earlier one at the Silver River State Park entitled "Speak Up, Silver Springs!"
In the photo below that one, Sen. Graham discusses the rally and the need for better springs protection with author and filmmaker Bill Belleville, who also gave a presentation at the Wekiwa rally.
In regard to civic leadership, Sen. Graham also founded the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at UF to further his dedication to the idea that citizens need a firm grounding in democratic government to discharge their rights and responsibilities. http://www.bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu/
Margaret Ross Tolbert is an award-winning Gainesville artist who specializes in painting the springs of Florida. Her non-fiction book, "AQUIFERious" which includes the art and science of our springs, won the top prize in non-fiction from the Florida Books Awards. Margaret, who has a MFA and also teaches at the University of Florida, snorkels in the springs and sometimes sketches them from a kayak atop the water. Her installations have appeared throughout Florida, the U.S., and internationally. She has recently returned from a project on springs in Turkey where she also has a studio. www.margaretrosstolbert.com
Eric Hutcheson of Ocala, Fla. is a veteran springs-cave explorer and an internationally known cartographer who has mapped labyrinthic cave systems throughout the world. Here, he is deep inside Silver Springs taking measurements in order to draw the first real map from inside that celebrated spring system. Eric, who has worked extensively on film projects, will serve as co-producer for "Hidden Secrets" and will help us understand how singular and rare these complex underground systems really are. Visit: www.VisionFromTheCaves.com
Dr. Robert L. Knight, director of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute in Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Knight, an impassioned champion of our springs, has an extensive working knowledge of Silver, and can help viewers understand why that historic springs has played such a major role in the culture, ecology, and economy of Florida---and thus, why it serves as the archetypical Florida spring.
Silver has lost nearly half of its springshed since the 1950's, has declined significantly in magnitude, and increased in nutrient content. The once-transparent spring is now clouded with algae, and the great majority of its natural fish life has vanished. Dr. Knight is convinced Silver---like other Florida springs---can be restored. But, he is cautious and very aware of the politics that now enter a theater that should be the domain of sound ecological management. “One of the wonders of the natural world, Silver Springs has the chance to turn the corner from more than 50 years of regulatory neglect and decline to a future of recovery and protection," he says. "Silver Springs can serve as an allegory for all of Florida's natural wonders. Either it can go the way of the ivory-billed woodpecker and Carolina parakeet, or it can be returned from near extinction like the brown pelican and the bald eagle.”
http://floridaspringsinstitute.org/
Patricia Siemen is a Dominican Sister and an attorney. She serves as the
director of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence, Barry University School of Law.
Previously, Sister Pat has been director of the Earth Ethics Institute at Miami Dade College, engaging students and staff in programs and workshops in Earth Literacy; a staff attorney for the Voting Section of the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division; and legal services attorney for migrant farm workers in South Florida. Sister Pat has also served in community organizing with the African-American community in rural Tennessee, in parish ministry with the Latino community and elementary education. She served on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Congregational leadership team from 1988-98.
Sister Pat holds a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University
School of Law, Boston; a Master in Public Affairs from the University of Texas
at Austin; and a Master in Culture and Spirituality from Holy Names University,
Oakland, California. Her B.A. is in
History and Political Science from Siena Heights University, Adrian,
Michigan. She is a member of the
Michigan and Florida Bars.
The mission of the Center for Earth Jurisprudence is to
advance legal principles, laws and governance that reflect a transformative
Earth-centered perspective and support the well-being of all members of the
Earth community. CEJ contributes to the
Rights of Nature movement by designing and sponsoring courses,
publications, and events that foster professional and academic discourse on the
implications of a new jurisprudence needed for the challenges of the first
quarter of the 21st century and beyond.
It partners with others to promote laws and cultural transformation that
support ecologically sustainable, socially just, and spiritually meaningful
societies for future generations. www.earthjuris.org/
Traveling
the Sunshine State with his cameras, John Moran seeks his vision of natural
Florida as it must have appeared to Ponce de Leon and other early strangers in
paradise. Moran's work celebrates the magic of a unique landscape born of water
and blessed with beauty beyond measure.
His
portfolio of landscape and wildlife photography ranges from the Gulf to the
Atlantic with an emphasis on Florida waters: the rivers, lakes, coasts, swamps and springs,
and the creatures that inhabit them. A
University of Florida graduate, Moran's photography has appeared in numerous
books and magazines including National Geographic, Life, Time, Newsweek,
Smithsonian, The New York Times Magazine and on the cover of the National
Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida.
His
current exhibition, “Springs Eternal: Florida’s Fragile Fountains of Youth”, will be on display at the Florida Museum of
Natural History in Gainesville until Dec. 15. A more extensive project that
reaches throughout Florida is underway for Springs Eternal. For more info on
that and on John’s other fine work, please visit: http://www.johnmoranphoto.com/
Jim
Draper is a highly regarded Mississippi-born artist with an MFA who lives and
paints in Jacksonville from his studio in the CoRK Arts District. His art has appeared in major shows as
well as in prestigious venues like the Cummer Museum of Art. His most recent
collection is “Feast of Flowers” , which
is accompanied by a digital book devoted to the feast-of-flowers theme. Other
exhibitions include “Postcards from the Promised Land”, “Liturgy” and “Liquid
Peace”. More info: http://www.jimdraperart.com/
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If you have any questions about our springs documentary, contact Bill Belleville or Bob Giguere of Equinox Documentaries.
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