Gimme Water - Friday, Sept 21st
Doors open at 6pm, film starts at 6:30 pm
RSVP appreciated (see below)
$5 suggested donation, Paynes Prairie Entry is FREE
Explore: The La Chua Trail, Sept 22nd - FREE
We turn on the tap and water flows into our glass. Easy as taking a breath and air flows into our lungs. We don't give it much thought - we expect it. But where does our water come from? And where does it go? Are there ways we can protect it? And use less? FIND OUT at this Film, Forum, and Explore event.
FILM: Be transported as the award-winning film Water's Journey, The Hidden Rivers of Florida traces the course of water through incredible underground landscapes and into places you can't even imagine water would go. Experience Florida's most precious resource on this daring journey into the Floridan aquifer - the source of our drinking water.
FORUM: Meet the film's producer, co-writer, and photographer Jill Heinerth. Jill is considered one of the top cave divers in the World, participating in expeditions across the globe. Plus, bring your questions for our water-related partners - the Watershed Action Volunteers, St. John's Water Management District, GRU, the Native Plant Society, and the Paynes Prairie Restoration Project.
Food, drink, and Sweetwater Beer
Visitor Center off Hwy 441, 10 miles south of Gainesville, MAP
RSVP is greatly appreciated: Send an email or call 466.4100
Saturday, Sept 22nd, 8:30 am to 1 pm
EXPLORE: the heart and soul of Paynes Prairie, Alachua Sink. Alachua Sink has been a gathering spot for prehistoric animals and people, a main steamboat landing, and even a railroad stop. Today, this sinkhole still swallows millions of gallons of water daily, silently recharging the Floridan aquifer - our drinking water.
Join Paynes Prairie Friends and Rangers, Watershed Action Volunteers, Alachua County Environmental Department, and the Gainesville Clean Water Partnership under the big tent on the La Chua Trail. Learn more about Alachua Sink, our watershed, and enjoy hands on activities for kids. Under the small tent, you can meet live alligators and the Alligator Man and learn more about these fascinating reptiles that have changed very little since prehistoric times.
Guided-tour sign-up start at 8:30 at Alachua Sink - MAP. We will try to accommodate as many as possible. Biking to the event is encouraged! Guided tours include:
- Wetland Wildlife Adventures - 9:00 a.m.
There are all sorts of interesting birds, butterflies, reptiles, and more that call Paynes Prairie home. Learn more on this naturalist-guided walk. Binoculars provided. Slow pace, level terrain.
- Behind the Scenes Sinkhole Explorations - 9:30 a.m. and noon
The rim of the prairie has so many sinkholes it looks like swiss cheese! You’ve NEVER seen anything like it. This geologist-guided hike will tell you all about this unique landscape. Slow pace, sandy, some hills.
- Where the Wild Things Grow - 9:00 a.m.
Join your guide on a journey into the backcountry to see parts of the prairie from exotic lands, even things Made in China. Learn what we are doing to restore the Real Florida. Hayride.
- Everglades Restoration in Our Backyard - 10:00 a.m. and noon
Jim Weimer, Preserve Biologist, will lead this tour of Sweetwater Branch and Alachua Sink - a close-up look at our watershed and our own water supply. Discussion of major improvements planned for both people and wildlife. Slow pace, level terrain.
**Film, Water's Journey: The Hidden Rivers of Florida, will be available for viewing in the bunkhouse at the La Chua Trail on Saturday.
Click for MAP to the event
Read about: Gimme Green | Gimme Wildlife
