OCALA — The Free the Ocklawaha River Coalition, led by its founder and longtime local environmentalist Margaret Spontak, has been named the 2022 Wilton F. Martin Institutional Communicator of the Year for efforts to reconnect the Ocklawaha River to the Silver and St. Johns rivers and Silver Springs.

The three-year-old organization was honored by the Ocala Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association at the annual Mid-Florida Image and Communicator of the Year Awards which took place Wednesday, April 13, at the Marion Theatre. Founded in 1938, FPRA is the oldest professional association of public relations practitioners in the nation.

Recognizing that their work is ongoing until the Ocklawaha is “finally set free,” Spontak and Free the Ocklawaha’s efforts were lauded for “dramatically increasing the public interest, awareness, engagement, and support” needed to reunite the rivers.

The Communicator of the Year award honors institutions and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in strategic communications to improve the quality of life in Marion and Citrus counties. It is named in memory of the late Wilton F. Martin, native Ocalan and the Association’s co-founder.

NPR’s Joe Byrnes, a versatile and veteran reporter and editor for the Star-Banner and Gainesville Sun before joining WMFE in 2020, received the Wilton F. Martin Individual Communicator of the Year for his “unrelenting commitment to quality journalism … reporting, distilling, and communicating the most complex topics with uncommon clarity and color.”

Additionally, 14 Image awards were presented to public relations professionals from Marion, Lake, Volusia and Flagler counties. FPRA’s Image Awards and the state Golden Image competition have become the standard of public relations excellence throughout Florida, honoring the very best in public relations innovations, planning and design.

This year’s big winners were Jen Pagh, Scott Schroeder, APR, CPRC, and Matias Raby of Liquid Creative who received the Grand All Image Award in the digital tools of public relations division in the external video category for their Straight Line Construction video, which also earned an Image Award and Judges Award. Also, in the digital tools division website category, the team won an Image Award and Judges Award for rebuilding Straight Line Construction’s website. Lastly, in the public relations programs division promotional marketing category, they picked up an Award of Distinction for a comprehensive marketing strategy for Straight Line Construction.

Additional winners:

Beverly Brown and Taylor College won a Judges Award in digital tools of public relations division social media category for Taylor College Facebook Engagement Plan.

Rachel Cote and the College of Central Florida won an Award of Distinction and Judges Award in the digital tools of public relations website category for the College of Central Florida website redesign.

Heather Danenhower, APR, CPRC, and Duke Energy won an Image Award in the public relations programs division internal category for Duke Energy’s Power Plant Worker Appreciation Day Campaign.

Mary Dorn, APR, and Cindi Lane, APR, won an Award of Distinction and Judges Award in the public relations programs division special events category for the Volusia/Flagler Chapter of FPRA Media Day at Daytona International Speedway.

Savannah Silliman, Pamela Calero Wardell, and Andy Stracuzzi won an Award of Distinction and Judges Award in the public relations collateral brochure category for the Ocala Symphony’s 46th Season brochure.

FPRA is dedicated to developing public relations practitioners who, through ethical and standardized practices, enhance the public relations profession in Florida. Today there are more than 1,000 professional, at-large and student members throughout the state and country. The FPRA Ocala Chapter was established in 1980.

For more information about the chapter, go to www.fpraocala.org.

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Seniors 4Newborns donate baby supplies to AdventHealth Midwives of Ocala

Seniors 4Newborns, a nonprofit Ocala charity, donated baby supplies to AdventHealth Midwives of Ocala on April 8, according to an email from Frances Morrison.

The organization filled 100 layette boxes with crocheted sweaters, hats, baby blankets, onesies, receiving blankets, toys and diapers.

Since 2010 the 20 ladies of Seniors 4Newborns have donated 1,305 layettes, the email said. The organization thanked the Belk Charity Sales for its fundraiser.

Dunnellon Community Thrift Shop donates to Food4Kids program and local food pantries

Dunnellon Community Thrift Shop volunteers Kim Hatfield and Vickie Witt recently presented a $500 check to Christine Avina and Pat Chapman, representatives of the Food4Kids program, a press release from the thrift shop said.

The program, which provides weekend food packages for children who are deemed food insecure, is currently operating through the Boys & Girls Club of Marion County, which distributes the bags of food every Friday, the release said.

The thrift shop also presented $500 checks to the food pantries at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and Holy Faith Episcopal Church.

Area public relations and communications professionals honored

The Free the Ocklawaha River Coalition, led by its founder and longtime local environmentalist, Margaret Spontak, has been named the 2022 Wilton F. Martin Institutional Communicator of the Year for efforts to reconnect the Ocklawaha River to the Silver and St. Johns rivers and Silver Springs, according to a press release from the

Florida Public Relations Association.

NPR’s Joe Byrnes, a versatile and veteran reporter and editor for the Star-Banner and Gainesville Sun before joining WMFE in 2020, received the Wilton F. Martin Individual Communicator of the Year for his “unrelenting commitment to quality journalism … reporting, distilling, and communicating the most complex topics with uncommon clarity and color,” the release said.

Additionally, 14 Image awards were presented to public relations professionals from Marion, Lake, Volusia and Flagler counties.

Jen Pagh, Scott Schroeder and Matias Raby of Liquid Creative received the Grand All Image Award in the digital tools of public relations division in the external video category for their Straight Line Construction video, which also earned an Image Award and Judges Award.

In the digital tools division website category, the team won an Image Award and Judges Award for rebuilding Straight Line Construction’s website. In the public relations programs division promotional marketing category, they picked up an Award of Distinction for a comprehensive marketing strategy for Straight Line

Construction

Additional winners:

Send items to calendar@starbanner.com

Guest columnist

The St. Johns River runs through the heart of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, shaping our lives and driving our economy. Our river is also one of Florida’s most productive estuaries and the nursery grounds for numerous species of commercially harvested fish and shellfish we love to eat.

Shrimp spawn offshore, but once their eggs hatch, the larvae migrate back to the ideal habitat of the St. Johns estuary to grow and mature. As a result, commercial and sport shrimpers enjoy the river’s bounty between Jacksonville and Palatka.

Blue crabs, the largest fishery in the river, release their eggs in the marine waters near the mouth of the river. Wind and tides will eventually carry the larvae upstream where they will find refuge in the submerged grasses that will nurture them. During the warmer months, blue crabs reach as far south as Lake George.

The St. Johns’ delicate tidal balance of salt and freshwater has historically enabled healthy underwater grasses to thrive, providing critical habitat for fresh and saltwater species that have attracted sportsmen from near and far.

Now our thriving estuary and fishing economy are at risk. Due to overuse of our aquifer, dredging and increasing saltwater intrusion, the St. Johns’ underwater grasses are disappearing, the cypress forest wetlands are stressed and fish habitat is vanishing within the St. Johns River estuary from Welaka to Palatka to Jacksonville.

The loss of our river’s submerged grasses also increase the threat of toxic blue green algae and increase flood risk throughout the lower St. Johns.

More than 50 years ago, the Rodman Dam (now known as the Kirkpatrick Dam) was built across the Ocklawaha River, the largest tributary of the St. Johns, as part of the failed Cross Florida Barge Canal. This resulted in the clearing and flooding of approximately 7,500 acres of floodplain forest, while submerging over 20 springs beneath a massive pool of water that significantly reduced freshwater flow to the St. Johns.

The boondoggle canal project was eventually halted by the federal government, but the dam remains in place after all these years.

The good news is that we have an opportunity to finally breach the dam and allow the Ocklawaha to run free, once again. By reuniting the natural connection of Silver Springs, the Ocklawaha River and the St. Johns, we can restore more than 150 million gallons of fresh water a day to our estuary, improve water quality, offset saltwater intrusion and restore habitat for fish and wildlife in the Lower St. Johns River.

A free-flowing Ocklawaha will also restore a lost migratory pathway used by numerous fish species that migrated between the Ocklawaha River and the South Atlantic Bight. Many species historically migrated far up the St. Johns and into the Ocklawaha River to feed and reproduce, including American shad, striped bass, American eel and mullet.

Unfortunately, the construction of the dam across the Ocklawaha severed this migratory pathway and fish populations in Silver Springs have sharply declined.

Few efforts to restore Florida’s biological wealth hold the prospect for such far-reaching benefits including making Northeast Florida more resilient from Welaka to Palatka to Jacksonville.

The science is clear and there is overwhelming public support based on the St. Johns River Water Management Survey conducted in October 2021, where more than 85 percent of the participants expressed a desire to restore the Ocklawaha River.

The time has come to finally restore the largest tributary of our St. Johns River and together, we can unleash the significant ecological and economic benefits of a free-flowing Ocklawaha.

To help save the St. Johns and free the Ocklawaha, visit StJohnsRiverkeeper.org.

Lisa Rinaman, St. Johns Riverkeeper

Initial results from an online public survey about the future of the Kirkpatrick Dam, Rodman Reservoir and Ocklawaha River were announced on Tuesday, revealing that a majority of the 10,482 respondents favor breaching the dam and restoring a free-flowing river.

Led by the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition for Everyone, advocates hope that the survey results will help in their years-long effort to partially remove the dam and restore the Ocklawaha River and connecting bodies of water.

The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) launched the month-long survey in September to collect feedback from community members and stakeholders on the Kirkpatrick Dam and Rodman Reservoir “to help inform future key decisions regarding the best path forward,” whether continued operation or an alternative restoration effort.

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Of over 10,000 responses, 86.5% favor restoration of the Ocklawaha

SJRWMD recently released 251 pages of raw responses, which the Florida Department of Environmental Protection plans to analyze.

In the meantime, Free the Ocklawaha and other advocates announced the results of a volunteer professional data analyst’s preliminary assessment during a public comment period at the district's governing board meeting on Tuesday.

“I watched the process happen,” SJRWMD's Chris Peterson said in a video recap from Free the Ocklawaha, calling it “an ample opportunity for fair feedback for all the stakeholders in the area and from the world."

“To get over 10,000 responses as to what we should do, it’s exciting that we were able to hear from so many people in a fair and very civil manner because it has been contentious in the past,” he said.

The survey asked respondents in what ways they use the dam and reservoir, what they would like to see happen, what supporting information they have, and what concerns they have if the desired outcome is not achieved.

Of the 9,793 individuals who answered what they would like to see happen with the Rodman Reservoir and Kirkpatrick Dam moving forward, 86.5% indicated they were in favor of breaching the dam and restoring a free-flowing Ocklawaha River.

Only 5.9% of respondents supported retaining the dam and reservoir, while the remainder did not express a clear position.

“I think the survey results are a reflection of us trying to bring people together because the results in Putnam and Marion were so encouraging,” Free the Ocklawaha Chair Margaret Spontak said on Wednesday. “We've got people talking about what this could look like and what could make it even better for users of all types from fisherman to paddlers to hikers, mountain bikers.”

A press release detailed that survey responses came from 66 of Florida’s 67 counties, and 1,327 responses, or 17.23%, came from stakeholders out of state.

Restoration would consider concerns and provide recreation infrastructure

In Marion County, whose northern edge borders the dam and reservoir, 75.3% of respondents favored restoration, and 15.6% favored maintaining the dam. In Putnam County, bordering Marion to the north, 63.6% favored restoration and 19.5% opposed.

Spontak says those who favor retaining the dam do so primarily for the fishing and recreation it provides, so they’ve made sure to incorporate these concerns into potential restoration plans.

Potential legislation would also have funding for priority recreation infrastructure for Marion and Putnam counties and an economic package for Putnam.

“When the river is restored, you'll have more banks, so you'll have 16 miles of banks, so that will create more spots for bank fishing, hiking, camping,” she said. “ We really want the recreation infrastructure to take into consideration both bank and shore fishermen.”

Spontak says there are many positive benefits of restoring the Ocklawaha, including providing better fish migration routes and suitable manatee habitats, improving water quality, restoring 7,500 acres of wetland forest and a wildlife corridor and recovering 20 springs drowned by the dam.

“The survey results show the public understands that this is a win-win-win proposal of restoration,” Chris Farrell, Northeast Florida policy associate for Audubon Florida, said at the meeting, according to Free the Ocklawaha's video. “It greatly improves our environment, recreation and economy along this great Florida riverway, so we’re excited about the future.”

Advocates are awaiting state funds for restoration

Among other steps, the partial restoration of the Ocklawaha would include removal of a portion of the earthen dam, restoration of Deep Creek and the Camp Branch channel and floodplain, closure of the Buckman Lock and partial filling of the spillway to bring the reservoir and the river to the same level.

The dam, which was completed in 1968, is “in a bad state of repair,” SJRWMD Chair Douglas Burnett said at the meeting, noting upgrades could cost $8.5 million to $12 million, but he challenged the board to look into it.

While the district oversees the permit for restoration and the FDEP would oversee the efforts, the Florida Legislature must first appropriate funds to move the project forward.

Spontak says many legislators were awaiting the survey results, so the current and future assessments may help finally spur the restoration.

"I feel like this is the year we're going to make this happen,” she said. “We're seeing a lot of people cross over, people talking to one another, which wasn't happening before. We've got support, I think non-partisan support.”

Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.

A government watchdog group is recommending that Florida breach Putnam County’s Rodman dam and restore the Ocklawaha River’s natural flow to the St. Johns River.

“To do otherwise would be a dam shame,” concluded a report that Florida TaxWatch released Tuesday endorsing an idea that environmental activists have championed for decades.

The report, which encourages state lawmakers to fund what’s called partial restoration of the Ocklawaha, bolsters calls from activists who this month produced polling reporting that 77 percent of likely voters in Putnam and Marion counties supported breaching the dam, which is about a half-century old and needs maintenance.

“At some point the state will have to ‘fish or cut bait’ and decide the future of the Kirkpatrick Dam and Rodman Reservoir. Florida TaxWatch thinks that time is now,” said the report, using the state’s formal name for the dam.

The dam, which blocks the Ocklawaha from reaching the St. Johns near Palatka, was built as part of a cross-state barge canal that was never completed because of its environmental impact.

But a core of defenders long ago embraced the dam and reservoir, which bass fishermen prize as prime fishing ground.

TaxWatch, maybe most visible through its yearly list of budget “turkeys” that bypass conventional state-funding requirements, argued that restoration would bring greater economic benefits that the reservoir, whose impact it priced at $6.6 million yearly.

Restoring the river by slowly drawing down the reservoir and creating a gap in the dam “stands to add an annual benefit of $9.1 million upon completion of the project,” said the report. The report also noted projections in a pro-restoration report that the number of reservoir visitors would decline.

It argued a restored river would boost tourism around the 74-mile Ocklawaha, which runs from the Harris chain of lakes to the St. Johns.

The state would also save costs of dam repairs estimated at anywhere from $4 million to $14 million, plus yearly maintenance expenses, TaxWatch said.

The report was cheered by dam-removal advocates who argue the Ocklawaha, the biggest tributary to the St. Johns, could add benefit the larger river by adding fresh water to slow a gradual rise in salinity in portions of the St. Johns in Jacksonville.

“It just underscores the fact that restoring the natural connection [between the rivers] … makes economic sense as well as environmental sense,” said St. Johns Riverkeeper Lisa Rinaman, who said her organization had been in contact with TaxWatch previously.

Rinaman, who like other restoration supporters speaks of the dam blocking a “Great Florida Riverway” including the Silver, Ocklawaha and St. Johns, has argued the dam could pose a significant risk to homes and businesses close downstream if the aging dam fails and releases water suddenly.

Rinaman said an updated dam safety report is expected to be released soon and could impact other parts of the debate over the dam.

A TaxWatch spokeswoman, Aly Coleman, said the group looked at the dam's future as an infrastructure issue and decided to issue its report in light of federal infrastructure funding that became law last fall.