FORT MYERS, Fla. (Jan. 15, 2015) – The Southwest Florida Community Foundation will host two presentations of Florida nature photographer John Moran’s Springs Eternal Project exhibition “Florida’s Fragile Fountains of Youth” in February.
Moran will present on Wednesday, Feb. 4 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Community Foundation’s Community Hub located at 8771 College Parkway, Building 2, Suite 201 in Fort Myers, and the following day, Feb. 5 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Community Foundation’s Sanibel office in the Sanibel Sea School located on the corner of Periwinkle Way and Lagoon Drive on the south end of Sanibel Island.
The Springs Eternal Project documents the beauty, history and increasing ecological devastation of Florida’s springs and aquifer.
“Although vital to the ecological, social and economic health of our state, Florida’s springs are imperiled—due to pollution, neglect and the groundwater demands of a thirsty state,” said Moran, who has been photographing the springs of Florida for more than 30 years. “Once a source of awe, our springs are now a source of deep concern. And like our troubled waters from the Caloosahatchee to the Indian River Lagoon, their future is unclear.”
In 2012, Moran partnered with artist and art historian Dr. Lesley Gamble and designer Rick Kilby to create the Springs Eternal Project after coming to the realization that his “beauty” pictures of Florida weren’t really changing anything and that he had an obligation to more fully show and tell the truth as he sees it. Their collaboration fills museum walls and continues to develop creative forms of educational outreach inspiring Floridians to value, conserve and restore our precious waters.
“Unique and stunningly beautiful, our springs also provide crucial ecosystem services that include habitat for diverse array of flora and fauna, some rare (Ichetucknee Silt Snail) and endangered (Florida Manatee),” Moran said. “Windows into the Floridian Aquifer, our springs pump roughly six billion gallons of fresh water each day to feed rivers, lakes and estuaries. Their basins provide crucial recharge areas that capture and filter precious rainwater. Florida’s springs are powerful drivers for tourism, recreation and other sectors vital to Florida’s economy, and, like the Everglades, their health is a key indicator of our state’s ecological and economic wellbeing.”
Space is limited. To RSVP, call 239-274-5900 or email Kim Williams at KWilliams@floridacommunity.com.
For more information, visit www.SpringsEternalProject.org.
As leaders, conveners, grant makers and concierges of philanthropy, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is a foundation built on community leadership with an inspired history of fostering regional change for the common good in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. The Community Foundation, founded in 1976, connects donors and their philanthropic aspirations with evolving community needs. With assets of more than $80 million, the Community Foundation has provided more than $60 million in grants and scholarships to the communities it serves. Last year, the Foundation granted more than $2.8 million to nonprofit organizations supporting education, animal welfare, arts, healthcare and human services. The Foundation granted $782,000 in nonprofit grants including more than $400,000 in regional community impact grants and additional $450,000 in scholarship grants.
For more information about the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, call 239-274-5900 or visit www.floridacommunity.com.
