Blue Spring Park is one of the 160 state parks administered by the Division of Recreation and Parks, which is part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It covers 2,600 acres and is the largest spring on the St. Johns River, and abuts Hontoon Island State Park and the Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park. Management of the park requires cooperation between a number of state agencies, namely the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Forestry, the Florida Fish and Wildlife conservation Commission, Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Office of coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas, DEP Bureau of Invasive Plant Management, DEP Division of Law Enforcement and the United States Army Corp of Engineers. Together these organizations monitor and manage the human and ecological balance of the spring as well as linking the management of it and statewide ecosystems.
It has been designated as a Manatee Refuge in compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1973 and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act as the West Indian Manatee is a federally listed species. As such, public interaction with the manatees, e.g. swimming or diving while the manatees are in residence, is prohibited and strictly enforced. Furthermore, being brought under the jurisdiction of Florida’s DEP has helped to maintain the health of the park as with state management came rules over use of the park, e.g. location of permissible camp grounds, diving times, invasive species control, etc.
Being designated as a refuge requires management of more than the visitors to the park. The St. Johns Water Management District is required to manage other aspects of its system, e.g. aquifer water levels, to maintain the minimum average flow of water in the spring. Doing so helps to maintain the water temperatures that provide a safe, warm habitat for manatees during the cold season. Additionally, the District is charged with maintaining the water resource values of the park to include “recreation in and on the water; fish and wildlife habitats and passage of fish; estuarine resources; transfer of detrital material; maintenance of freshwater storage and supply; aesthetic and scenic attributes; filtration and absorption of nutrients and pollutants, sediment loads; water quality; and navigation.”
Another important actor in the political aspect of Blue Spring State Park is the non-profit organization Friends of Blue Spring State Park. This is a group of mostly local citizens who work to create resources that the state is unable to provide. According to their charter, they work to provide “support for, and in the best interest of, the Park through events and activities, including, but not necessarily limited to the following: work for the preservation, protection, interpretation and promotion of the Park; through special work projects, special programs, special events, outreach programs, educational activities and communications, special exhibits, interpretive programs, fund raising activities and events, guided tours, and additional activities or events which are designed to meet the needs of the Park.” Such organizations can be an important resource for the park, raising money and awareness through education when the state cannot afford to do so. They can serve as an important voice for the park in the state government, mobilizing support for or against decisions made by the state.
Potential acquisition of land to the north of Blue Spring Park would create a wildlife corridor that connects it, the Lower Wekiva State Reserve, Rock Springs Run State Reserve, and Wekiva Springs State Park to the Ocala National Forest.
Resources
Blue Spring and Hontoon Island State Parks: Unit Management Plan. Accessed a
t http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/planning/parkplans/BlueSpringStatePark.pdf
Friends of Blue Spring Charter. Accessed at
http://www.bluespringflorida.com/bylaws.htm
Volusia Blue Spring Minimum Flow Regime Action Plan. Accessed at
http://sjr.state.fl.us/minimumflowsandlevels/bluespring/pdfs/Blue_Spring_Action_Plan.pdf
Another important actor in the political aspect of Blue Spring State Park is the non-profit organization Friends of Blue Spring State Park. This is a group of mostly local citizens who work to create resources that the state is unable to provide. According to their charter, they work to provide “support for, and in the best interest of, the Park through events and activities, including, but not necessarily limited to the following: work for the preservation, protection, interpretation and promotion of the Park; through special work projects, special programs, special events, outreach programs, educational activities and communications, special exhibits, interpretive programs, fund raising activities and events, guided tours, and additional activities or events which are designed to meet the needs of the Park.” Such organizations can be an important resource for the park, raising money and awareness through education when the state cannot afford to do so. They can serve as an important voice for the park in the state government, mobilizing support for or against decisions made by the state.