New Publication: Longnose Gar Spawning Within Floating Vegetation

Dear Springs Enthusiast, We’re excited to share a fascinating discovery made right here in one of our beloved springs. FSI Environmental Scientist Bill Hawthorne, Dr. Ken Sulak, and FSI board member Dr. Steve Walsh have published a research paper on Longnose Gar spawning within floating vegetation mats - a behavior never before published for this iconic fish species! Observed and photographed over the past two years, this behavior reveals how Longnose Gar utilize floating vegetation for egg deposition. The mats, suspended…

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2024 was a landmark year for the Florida Springs Institute. We celebrated what would have been the 100th birthday of our namesake, Howard T. Odum. We also honored the legacy of our organization by completing an Ecological Health Assessment of the Silver Springs System, the location where Dr. Robert Knight studied under Dr. Odum and the seeds that eventually grew into the Florida Springs Institute first nestled themselves into the fertile mind of our dear founder. This…

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Read more about the article Florida’s Springs – Dying of Thirst

Florida’s Springs – Dying of Thirst

By Robert Knight, PhD Published in Underwater Speleology, Vol 51 No3 Autumn 2024. Clear, pure groundwater is the basis for life in Florida’s artesian springs. Remove flowing water and a spring is a sinkhole, a stagnant window into the dark limestone underworld. A spring’s functionality or “life” declines when its flow decreases, and it increases in proportion to flow. The living assemblage of plants and animals characteristic of a Florida spring is directly dependent upon the quantity…

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Read more about the article Extinct Springs

Extinct Springs

By Dr. Robert Knight. Published in the Orlando Sentinel on September 13, 2024 I recently chanced upon a memorial for the extinct Passenger Pigeon. Located on a high bluff above the Upper Mississippi River in rural Wisconsin, this marker was dedicated by Aldo Leopold, one of the most famous American environmentalists. In 1947 he proclaimed “We meet here to commemorate the death of a species. We grieve because no living man will see again the onrushing phalanx…

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Read more about the article Celebrating Dr. Odum’s 100th Birthday with an outing on the Silver River

Celebrating Dr. Odum’s 100th Birthday with an outing on the Silver River

To commemorate Dr. Howard T. Odum's 100th birthday on September 1st, the Florida Springs Institute hosted a Springs Outing at Silver Springs State Park. It was truly an unforgettable day! Guy Marwick, the founder of the Silver River Museum, kicked off our Outing with a fascinating tour of the museum, sharing insights into Florida’s unique history. Dr. Robert Knight, FSI board president, founder, and former student of Dr. Odum, delivered an insightful presentation on Dr. Odum's legacy, highlighting…

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