FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2004
CONTACT: Leigh Ann Asklar, (850) 245-2112

Web Explorers Have New Spring to Surf

--Florida Springs Initiative launches Wakulla Springs website--

WAKULLA – Wakulla Springs, one of Florida’s most renowned watersheds, is now only a click away for virtual adventurers. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today launched Wakulla Springs: A Giant Among Us, an enhanced interactive website that allows visitors to explore Wakulla Springs and gain insight into the importance of protecting this valuable watershed.

“This new website uses state-of-the-art design to bring this majestic Florida spring into homes across the globe,” said DEP’s Florida Springs Initiative Director, Mike Bascom. “Raising awareness about the importance of Wakulla Springs and Florida’s ‘bowls of liquid light’ protects water quality and promotes the recreational value of these unique natural wonders.”

At Wakulla Springs: A Giant Among Us, interactive springshed maps trace the flow of water from backyards across North Florida into Wakulla Springs, demonstrating how personal pollution can impact water quality. Virtual tours with park rangers and scientists also take visitors on wildlife encounters and deep underwater dives into the caverns of Wakulla, while exploring the history and diversity of the spring and surrounding area.

One of the largest in the world, Wakulla Springs flows from an underground river at 175,000 gallons per minute. The 6,000-acre Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is home the popular swimming hole and 1937 Wakulla Lodge. The combination of nature and history attracts close to 195,000 visitors annually, pouring more than $7.5 million into the local economy last year alone.

The Florida Springs Initiative, established by Governor Jeb Bush in 2001, is the first-ever comprehensive, coordinated plan to restore and protect Florida’s more than 700 freshwater springs. This year, the Florida Springs Initiative set aside more than $350,000 to protect spring ecosystems, water quality and flow within Florida’s award-wining state park system.

The State is also acquiring land surrounding springs through Florida Forever -- the 10-year, $3 billion land conservation program established by Governor Bush and the Florida Legislature. Florida has conserved more than 27,000 acres of spring recharge area, including 3,000 acres around Wakulla Springs.