SPRINGS YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

By Madison Trowbridge, Ph.D., Springs Scientist

There’s a new exhibit at the Tampa Bay History Center, and it is called Key West and the Florida Keys: Mapping the History of the Conch Republic. The exhibit is on display now through Sunday, October

15 in the Saunders Foundation Gallery.

Key West and the Florida Keys have played an outsized role in Florida’s history. The Keys first appeared on a Spanish map in 1511, and they had been home to the Tequesta and Calusa for thousands of years. In modern times, Key West was at one point the largest city in Florida. It was home to wreckers, cigar makers, fisherfolk and other colorful characters.

The exhibit features historical and modern maps and charts. There are nearly 50 maps and charts in the exhibit. The oldest map is the 1511 Peter Martyr map of the Caribbean, and the newest is a 1988 map showing diferent locations of shipwrecks and (potential) sunken treasure. The History Center may add a 21st-century tourist map.

Every map in the exhibit is from the Tampa Bay History Center’s Touchton Map Library Collection. Rodney Kite-Powell, director of the Touchton Map Library, explained, “The Touchton Map Library and Florida Center for Cartographic Education is the only cartographic center in the southeastern United States and is one of only 14 cartographic centers in the country.”

The Touchton Map Library holds approximately 8,000 maps, charts, atlases and other cartographic materials. All of it focuses on Florida.

Kite-Powell said, “Because of Florida’s unique geographical location and its very long political and military history, the collection includes hundreds of maps of the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. The Touchton Map Library encourages research within the collection and hosts two temporary exhibitions each year. Those exhibitions are held within the Saunders Foundation Gallery.”

Kite-Powell added, “The exhibit showcases the important and interesting history of Key West and the Florida Keys. Key West, in particular, was the most strategic and economically important city in Florida in the latter half of the 19th century. Its isolation and the lack of a reliable and continuous source of fresh water hampered its continued growth and development, and the island city was eventually eclipsed by other coastal cities, particularly Tampa. Shifting to tourism, the Keys and Key West became a playground for Floridians and Americans in general, and today it is one of the largest tourist destinations in the country.”

The Tampa Bay History Center is located at 801 Water St. in downtown Tampa. For more information, please visit www.tampabayhistorycenter.org.

Q: What is a spring?

A: A spring occurs when groundwater that is under pressure flows through natural cracks in the aquifer and creates a natural opening in the ground. The pressure causes the water to flow from the aquifer to the earth’s surface. Our groundwater is the result of seasonal rainfall that soaks into the ground and into the aquifer. Springs can occur as an individual vent but more often as many spring vents, known as a spring group.

Q: What is a springshed?

A: A springshed is an area of land that captures rainwater and supplies the groundwater to a spring. A springshed can be quite large. For example, the Rainbow Springs Group has a springshed that covers several hundred square miles and extends into three counties. The water travel time in a springshed to the spring can vary from hours to several decades, but this water will eventually flow out of the spring vent. It is often said that a spring is only as healthy as its springshed because actions that occur many miles away can have a direct efect on the health of the spring and the water flowing from it.

Q: Why are springs important?

A: Florida’s springs and their associated rivers and bays provide ecological, economic, recreational, and aesthetic value to the state. Springs are often called windows to the aquifer because the water that flows out of them comes directly from the aquifer, and therefore should be protected from harm. A spring’s rivers and bays can provide activities like swimming, kayaking and nature watching, to name a few. The Florida Springs Coast provides the largest natural warm-water refuge in the United States for the Florida manatee, with seasonal num- bers in the hundreds. People come from around the world to visit these gentle creatures, resulting in a large economic impact for the surrounding communities.

Q: What makes a healthy spring?

A: Characteristics of healthy springs include the quantity of flow, water chemistry (especially the amount of nutrients) and the type and amount of aquatic vegetation, fish and wildlife present. Levels of spring flow afect the appearance and the ecology of the rivers and bays that are fed by these springs.

Q: How can I help protect Florida’s springs at home?

A: What we do in the springshed impacts the springs even if we don’t live close to a spring. Limit fertilizer use because excess fertilizer can seep into the aquifer. Inspect your septic tank every few years, as tanks that are not properly maintained can pollute the aquifer. Never dump anything down a storm drain and always dispose of grass clippings, litter, motor oil and pet waste properly. Always dispose of hazardous household chemicals etc. at an approved facility. Remember, both our drinking water and springs can become harmed.

Q: How can I help protect Florida’s springs while visiting them?

A: While swimming and snorkeling, please make sure to avoid disturbing the plants and wildlife. Try to stay in your vessel, if possible. If you have to leave the vessel, tie of in shallow waters and avoid docking on riverbanks. Don’t climb trees or use rope swings, as these can damage the shoreline vegetation. Be mindful if weighing anchor and make sure not to drag your anchor, as it may damage the aquatic plants and bottom habitats. And always remember to pack out all your trash. Help us protect our springs.