Sacred Springs Stories

Many years of good springs science have given us a lot of the information we need to restore Florida’s sick freshwater springs to health, yet our springs still suffer. Natural science alone is not solving our springs problems, so It’s time to look deeper into the human dimension of this situation—into the social science aspect of the human-water relationship–for clues about how to make needed changes. What is needed now is a deep paradigm shift, a transformative change to a culture that commodifies and objectifies these priceless natural treasures.

The American novelist Charles Frazier wrote, “Whatever you believe and whatever God you pray to, a place where clean water rises from the earth is in some way sacred.” This idea of “sacred springs” gives us one lens through which we can examine the relationship between people and water.

At this evening of “Sacred Springs Stories,” we will place Florida’s springs into a global context by exploring how people connect to sacred springs in different cultures. Through personal stories of visits to sacred springs, several artists, writers and researchers from the water defender community will open a discussion about cross-cultural relationships that raises important questions:  What makes a spring “sacred”? What is it like—what kinds of experiences do people have–when they visit sacred springs? Are sacred springs more likely to be protected than other springs? How can we deepen our own relationships with Florida’s freshwater springs?

Our speakers and their topics include:

•Gainesville painter and author of “Aquiferious” Margaret Ross Tolbert will talk about sacred springs in Turkey and Greece.

•Gainesville painter, calligrapher and graphic designer Joon Thomas will talk about sacred springs in Iran.

•University of Florida anthropologist and Research Assistant Scientist in the School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatic Sciences Wendy-Lin Bartels, a Micanopy resident, will talk about a sacred spring in Bali.

•Florida artist Johnny Dame will talk about his relationship with the Ichetucknee, which he considers to be his muse.

•Former Florida Park Service Ranger, photographer/videographer, musician and artist Steven Earl will talk about the experiences that inspired him to create his book “Ichetucknee:  Sacred Waters” (University Press of Florida).

•Writer and event MC Lucinda Faulkner Merritt will talk about the interconnections between people and water in Tibetan Buddhism.

•Rollins College Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Victoria Machado will talk about how we can use the concept of the sacred to understand our local water ways.

A question-and-answer/discussion session will follow the presentations. Tolbert and Earl will have their books for sale. Representatives of the Florida’s Right to Clean & Healthy Waters effort will have petitions you may sign to help place that proposed state constitutional amendment on Florida’s 2026 ballot.

“Sacred Springs Stories” is co-sponsored by the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute/Springs Welcome Center and Rights of Water – ROW.

For more information, call Lu Merritt at 386-454-0415.