Florida’s Changing Waters: A Beautiful World in Peril

About

About the Author
Lynne Buchanan, a native Floridian, is a photographer now based in Asheville, North Carolina. Her photographs have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, Fogartyville Arts and Media Center in Sarasota, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Brickworks Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia, Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, Massachusetts, and 516 Arts in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has been affiliated with the Waterkeeper Alliance since 2013.
Watch a series of interviews with Lynne Buchanan, here: Inspicio.

About the Contributors
Robert L. Knight, Ph.D., is an environmental scientist/systems ecologist with more than thirty-five years of experience as an aquatic and wetlands ecologist in Florida. He is the founder and director of the Howard T. Odum Florida Springs Institute, which is co-located with the North Florida Springs Environmental Center in High Springs, Florida.

Jason M. Evans, Ph.D., is an associate professor of environmental science and studies at Stetson University in Deland, Florida. He is currently working with local governments along the southeastern U.S. coast on adaptation to a rising sea level. He also has extensive experience in the ecology, management, and restoration of Florida springs.

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Praise

“With unspoken irony, Lynne Buchanan’s photographs expose the toxic destruction of Florida’s inland waters and coastal areas in a devastating indictment of unrestrained industrialization and reckless development. She has crisscrossed the state to find and bear witness to the devastation that we might see, understand, and be moved to action to remediate the situation in this state, which is a bellwether for the rest of the country.”
—Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“I just received this book the other day: a beautiful, big hardcover with Lynne Buchanan’s amazing photos. It’s a startling graphic reminder of the wondrous things that Floridians are given–as well as a wake up call about our responsibility for them.
   Those of us who grew up in Florida or came here and fell in love with it might recall clear waters running through a neighborhood creek, pristine springs that flowed into rivers or the bounty of our salt waters. For many of us, these remembered places are worn through use. But some of those memories no longer relate to a physical reality. Others may not exist for our children or grandchildren to gather. Buchanan’s lens simultaneously renews some of those memories and startles us at the slow demise of others. She is a flâneur d’eaux, wandering our waters and recording them for all of us.
   With essays by James L. Knight, Florida Springs Institute Executive Director, and James M. Evans of Stetson University, this book offers no specific solutions to the effects of population growth, development, commercial agriculture and climate change, except for the solutions that must hopefully grow from awareness.
   Each picture is worth a thousand words. Buy a copy of this book for yourself, and have another sent to your state representative, senator or congressman with a personal note. Give one to your children, grandchildren and your parents. Send this alarm forward in time and back so that we can truly alter prevailing ideas about human progress in this beautiful state and the world, before its too late.”
—Bruce Deterding, Former Senior Legal Analyst for the DEP, and staff fro Governor Christ’s Climate Action Team and the Florida House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee

“To the untrained eye, Buchanan’s photographs capture a recognizably Floridian landscape – puffy white clouds doting an impossibly sunny blue sky, crystal clear water snaking through the lush green marshland. But the longer I sit with her images, ranging in perspective from on land, to aerial, and underwater, the more I feel called to consider the history of the environment that Buchanan is immersed in. These waters provided sustenance to Native populations, and support vital biodiversity to this day.”
—Julia Bennett, Lenscratch (read full article here)

“In this captivating illustrated debut, photographer and activist Buchanan chronicles the environmental damage being done to Florida’s waterways, showcasing a devastating plight facing her native state. Buchanan is unapologetic and feels no need to be diplomatic, tersely stating, “In Florida, as in many other parts of the United States, development often trumps maintaining clean-water standards. Florida recently acquired the dubious distinction of having the second-worst drinking water in the nation.” Photographs of untouched waterways are breathtaking, showcasing abundant wildlife and picturesque and mystic underwater realms. Yet these images evoke a sense of both foreboding and tragedy, especially in Buchanan’s images of meager streams, dried up riverbeds, and ugly swaths of toxic algae slowly choking the life out of once vibrant areas. Stirring images of areas like Central Florida’s Johnson Springs capture a fading beauty still visible through the muck and slime, and help reinforce Buchanan’s argument that Florida’s waters are rapidly running out of time. Rounding out the volume are insightful essays by ecologist Robert L. Knight and Stetson University professor Jason M. Evans, the latter noting that with climate change, “it will be impossible to return Florida’s waterways and natural ecosystems to some historical ‘pristine’ state.” Buchanan’s beautifully rendered volume is a must-have for environmentalists and conservationists.”
—Publisher’s Weekly

“What a wondrous world of water—lakes and ponds and streams and rivers (not to mention bays and the gulf and the Atlantic)—that has shaped Florida’s landscape and identity, and how fragile are the conditions that help preserve the state’s water and provide sustenance to all the creatures (human and otherwise) that depend on its clean water for survival. If you are curious about Florida’s water and the conditions threatening its health, and if you love gorgeous photography, pick up a copy of Lynne Buchanan’s new book, Florida’s Changing Waters. She’s a passionate guide, and she takes her readers on a spellbinding tour into the heart of Florida, sharing its beauty and its mystery and the many challenges facing it in the days ahead.”
—Bruce Black, author of Writing Yoga

“As a father, teacher, and citizen, I am beyond thankful to have someone as talented as Lynne Buchanan care enough to show how Florida’s waterways are changing, perhaps inspiring some of us to act just a bit more wisely and conscientiously. Maybe, just maybe, the tortuous path of reclaiming beauty in the waters is the same path that will give us the best hope of saving ourselves.”
—Jason M. Evans

“Buchanan’s stirring images of broad, hopeful horizons and the tenacity of nature contrast terrifying close-ups of human impacts… Florida’s Changing Waters captures a fading beauty, still visible, but rapidly running out of time.” —Nancy McCrary, editor, South x Southeast photomagazine (read online)

“Fabulous book, full of well-printed wonderful images. While there are many outstanding images, the one on the front dust jacket that is on page 201 is a knockout. Although the subject matter is different, reminds me of some of Eliot Porters work.”
—Robert Anderson

“Particularly evocative for me are the photographs taken in forest glens, out of the way places seldom seen by urban dwellers, where streams meander, tree roots reach into the water and grip the world below. Notes on the photographs appear in the back of the book. I read them all, not just to find out locations but the notes contain her thoughts, what drew her to this place and some of its history.”
—Lucy Tobias (read the full review on her blog here)