Issues

Friends of the Wekiva River work to protect our treasured waterway by gathering data, analyzing problems that affect the river, proposing solutions, writing letters and documents to help people understand river issues, attending meetings, and working with decision makers, among other things.

These are some of the issues we address:

Water Quality 

We work with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and local governments on guidelines for improving water quality in springs and rivers in the Wekiva basin.

Water Quantity

We work with the St. Johns River Water Management District on guidelines for maintaining adequate flows in springs and rivers in the Wekiva basin.

Environmental Impacts from Land Use Changes from Unsustainable Development

We are consistently involved with issues related to development projects in areas designated for protection in the Wekiva basin.

Data Collection 

We participate in events such as annual Christmas Bird Counts, BioBlitz events and other efforts to capture data about biological diversity in the basin and monitor water quality and quantity.

Land Acquisition in the Wekiva to Ocala Greenway 

We have obtained a grant for $600,000 to acquire parcels of scrub habitat in the corridor and need help shoring up the acquisition (or conservation easements) on 20,000+ acres of land left to acquire.

Please email FriendsWekivaRiver@gmail.com if you’d like to help!