Terry and I along with friends Tim and Connie did some traveling in Citrus County on Saturday–from the west to the east.
We started out in Crystal River at Heritage Village for Market Day with Arts and Treasures. I’ve been to many of these market days over the past few years and expected to find sidewalk vendors with produce, crafts and art.
Not so. A few tents. No produce. Just like a regular Saturday on Citrus Avenue.
The only reason I knew that it was Market Day was my musician friend, Paula Bateman, gave me a flyer at our last acoustic meetup. She was performing at the gazebo with a friend of her son.
Paula Bateman
And it’s a really cute gazebo.
As you can see from the above snap, there weren’t many in attendance. There wasn’t even a place to sit. A couple of benches and a few rocking chairs would have been a welcome addition.
Crystal River has a lot going for it with the influx of tourists coming to see the manatees in the winter, scalloping in the summer, and fishing all year round. So why aren’t these visitors shopping at Heritage Village with all of its little shops, art gallery, and cafes?
Even our local newspaper reported that there was an exodus from Heritage Village to downtown Inverness. An article that was a coup for Inverness but very discouraging for Citrus Avenue.
I can only believe that it’s a marketing issue. While Heritage Village does have an updated website, I see little advertising elsewhere.
This is a really nice area and I love shopping here. I bring our guests here plus I’ve bought many unique gifts over the years (sometimes for myself). Now I’m concerned that more of these stores will be closing down.
We did a little shopping, listened to Paula, and then headed on to our next destination.
I’m sure it’s ingrained from all those years of working those jobs where Friday meant HAPPY HOUR! (or sometimes happy lunch that just continued into the happy evening)
Let’s talk about how great the weather has been! This is the weather that makes our northern visitors move here. Or just stay all year round.
Fortunately that’s balanced with the heat and humidity and hurricanes of the summer. I’m calling them the 3H. Which scares the rest of the visitors away. I’ll take the 3H over the snow that the northeast has experienced this year.
Speaking of hurricanes. We have sirens here in Citrus County. They were originally put in to alert us about possible nuclear disasters. Yes, here on the NATURE COAST we had a nuclear power plant. But it’s being brought DOWN. Oh, wait, the official term is decommissioned.
The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office sent out an announcement on Facebook that they are no longer using the sirens and are removing them. What? I’m pretty sure those were also used when we had possible hurricanes. (And there’s also a fire engine that goes around and announces really loud that YOU NEED TO EVACUATE)
and how will I know that it’s noon on Friday without our official alert announcement?
Heavy sigh.
Here’s some flowers and a bee….
Just a reminder that it’s the perfect time to stick some flowers in the ground. I planted these a couple years ago. Never liked bush daisies but I needed some color in a new piece of landscaping. We were having a lot of guests (someone got married in our back yard). And these crazy daisies have been beautiful. I had to cut them all the way to the ground last year when they were looking scraggly. But they are back and beautiful.
Thank you bush daisies. You make it through 27 degree weather.
Unlike my plumerias. Almost all passed away after that one night of non-tropical weather. But I have one sturdy one that perservers.
Oh, I’m really meandering this week.
So let’s get to business.
What’s going on this weekend?
A lot.
Brooksville is having their Blueberry Festival. Inverness is having a taste of Inverness. Crystal River is having a beer and wine tasting hosted by Burke’s of Ireland.
But all of those cost money.
Our plans are to stop in Crystal River for Market Day with Arts and Treasures at Heritage Village. We have a friend that’s performing at the gazebo.
Free!
I think Paula starts playing at 11 am.
And I can do some shopping on Citrus Avenue. And support our local merchants. (Guess I gotta buy something to do that!)
I’m skipping my usual Friday meandering to talk about a meeting Terry and I attended at the Plantation Inn on Wednesday evening regarding Three Sisters Springs.
I hate to be boring.
Sorry if this falls into that category.
But, I really am trying to understand the whole manatee, eco-tourism and “save our springs” issues. So I’ve been attending any meeting I see mentioned in the local paper. This one was particularly interesting because I had met the speakers previously. Not that they remember me, but back when we attended the Friends of the Crystal River Refuge meeting in January, we had a brief conversation. I had asked a question and the woman from USFWS that was speaking answered it incorrectly. During the break a man and woman approached me to give me the correct response. I’m guessing they thought I was a reporter since I had my camera, a tablet, and was taking copious notes and they wanted to get the record straight.
No, not a reporter, just a blogger. Looking at the world with my own little skewed view and posting about it.
So when I saw the meeting advertised I thought it just might be those two interested and very interesting people.
And I was right!
These two were scientists conducting a study from the boardwalk at the Crystal River Spring and this meeting was a presentation of their preliminary findings.
First Andrew Gude, refuge manager with the US Fish and Wildlife Services, opened the session by informing us that this study was made by volunteers and the conclusions were made by the authors, not the USFWS.
I’m okay with that. I’m all about disclaimers.
Andrew Gude, Refuge Manager
I met Andrew Gude at an open house at Three Sisters Springs just over a year ago. (I’m pretty sure he doesn’t remember me either) It was our first visit to the Spring. I had no idea who he was but he spoke with so much passion about the refuge that I was impressed. And wanted to know more. That’s when we joined the Friends of the Crystal River Refuge. And we’ve been following him ever since.
The volunteers, Rae Ellen Syverson and Carl Wolfe, gave us a brief history of their vast education and experience and then spoke of their observations. They, along with several other volunteers and interns with USFWS, stood on the boardwalk at Three Sisters Springs between December 10 and January 31 from sunrise to sunset and counted manatees, swimmers, and paddlecraft as they entered and exited the Springs. They also recorded the weather, the temperature of the gulf, air, and springs, and the tides.
Carl Wolfe and Rae Ellen Syverson
While the study will not be complete for another month, what they observed from the boardwalk confirmed that more manatees used the Springs than had been realized or estimated; manatees were affected by the tides; boardwalk visitors love the Springs but disapproved of swimmers and boaters in the Springs; groups of swimmers with a tour group behave better than non-accompanied; and holidays are chaotic because of high numbers of swimmer and boaters.
Then the speakers continued that from their personal observation the high number of swimmers and boaters degrade the manatee experience; the Springs run is a major management problem; and current practices will not support the long-term eco-tourism business.
Several tour operators were in attendance. They had numerous questions and comments. It was not a hostile exchange–rather very constructive. I had the feeling that USFWS and the tour operators work very hard to stay amicable. It’s a win-win situation.
Well, this post is way too long and you have probably stopped reading by now. But it was a very informative and educational meeting. I look forward to attending more in the future.
And, by the way, if you want to get the perspective from the USFWS, they released their own findings on Thursday that you can read on their website.
