9/22/2011 - Dinner & Wakulla Springs, A Watery Treasure by Bayard Stern

Dinner and a movie! What better way to start the Apalachee Audubon season?!
We invite you to bring your favorite covered dish and join us at the Amtrak Station-Community Room, 918 Railroad Avenue, Thursday night at 6:30 pm, September 22nd. Please send Laurie (laurie.l.p.jones@gmail.com) an email to let us know what dish you are bringing; otherwise, feel free to bring anything chocolate.

This cinematic feature on Wakulla Springs, the crown jewel of our area, and one of America's natural and cultural wonders was written, directed, and filmed by Bayard Stern, son of Florida State University English Department's beloved Jerome Stern. The film "Wakulla Springs, A Watery Treasure," which débuted in the 2010 Tallahassee Film Festival, is a 30-minute documentary that illustrates the area's remarkable history and its equally fascinating contemporary state. Interviews, along with current and archival footage, provide viewers a comprehensive look at what makes Wakulla Springs so extraordinary.
Wakulla Springs is reported to be the world's largest and deepest freshwater single vent spring. In the last decade, divers have proved the labyrinth of tunnels and caves that supply the springs' water. The spring and wildlife are being impacted by environmental threats that originate from beyond its boundaries. These include invasive species, increased nitrate levels, and "dark water."
The film features interviews with Retired Park Director Sandy Cook; Florida Park Rangers Don Gavin, Luke Smith and Bob Thompson; Springs Ambassador Calvin Jamison; Woodville Karst Plain Project Director Casey McKinlay; Hydrogeologist Todd Kincaid, and Enwood Ashmore, a 1940's park employee.
George Butler, who also directed "Pumping Iron," "The Endurance," and "Roving Mars", describes the film as presenting the story of: "One of the most hauntingly beautiful natural places in America". This film does great justice to Wakulla Springs and its' story.
Please come and enjoy it with us.