Water’s Journey Begins in the Heart of Karst Country

By Peter Lane Taylor
Reporting From High Springs, Florida

The late naturalist and philosopher Loren Eisley once said that, "If there is magic on this planet, it is in water." And nowhere does Eisley's statement seem more fitting than among the primeval hammocks and spring−fed rivers of northern Florida. In stark contrast to many developed areas of Florida, the spring environment is a reminder of wilderness past—a world where live oaks and cypress groves flourished undisturbed, and mastodons and saber−toothed tigers were the true kings of the jungle.

Yet, what makes Florida's springs so unique among the world's aquatic wildernesses is not simply what you see; it's what you don't see. Water in north Florida is a shy and unpredictable ghost: less a substance that we can see and touch, and more an energy that we can only briefly feel. Instead of only running over ground in rivers and lakes, much of Florida's water flows underground through a dark and uncharted geologic wilderness. Lost rivers rise unexpectedly in one place, then disappear back underground in another; sinkholes and spring−fed lakes hardwired directly to the aquifer fill one week, and then just as curiously, go dry the next.

“Water in north Florida is a shy and unpredictable ghost
flowing underground through a dark
and uncharted geologic wilderness.”

As a result, understanding Florida's springs and the very real threats that endanger them is no easy task. It requires cutting−edge science and technology, unprecedented exploratory courage, and an uncommon ability to look beyond the obvious features and phenomena of the landscape into the mysterious journey of water itself. It's a journey that begins with the simple marriage of hydrogen and oxygen and a single drop of water in the sky above the Florida Peninsula.

Documenting Water's Journey

During our online journey, our guide through Florida's spring environment is underwater "aquanaut" and filmmaker Wes Skiles, a north Florida resident who has risen to fame by virtue of his award−winning work on documentary programs for National Geographic, Discovery and others. Among those who know him best, however, Wes' reputation is synonymous with two much more important things: cave exploration and springs conservation. For more than twenty−five years, Wes has spent countless hours probing, documenting, and educating people about the uniqueness and fragility of Florida's springs. His current project "Water's Journey" is a one−hour educational film for public television that chronicles the threats to the underground aquifer from a water's−eye perspective. And it is through the telling of this story—water's story—that we too are learning about Florida's endangered subsurface wilderness.

We joined Wes and his team to learn about the Floridan aquifer, the underground water source for 60 percent of Florida's residents. It is no ordinary field expedition, and our center of operations at Wes' 18−acre ranch is no ordinary base camp. Located five miles west of High Springs in a swath of Florida sandhills, "Camp Skiles" is a hydrological central command in the heart of karst or underwater cave country and the perfect place to get the inside story on what's happening here. Within a ten−mile radius of our location are some of the most abundant and exemplary spring systems on earth, including Ichetucknee Springs, one of the healthiest in the state, and Ginnie Springs, the top freshwater cave diving spot in the world.

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