The Tallahassee Democrat will be presented with 1000 Friends of Florida’s Al Burt Award for its “Saving Wakulla Springs” series, which ran in 2006. The paper is being honored for stimulating community dialogue and leadership resulting in greater protection for the Wakulla Springshed. 1000 Friends of Florida President Charles Pattison will present the award at the Tuesday, October 2, meeting of the Wakulla Spring Basin Working Group.

“Thanks to this series, the protection of the Wakulla Springshed has been elevated as a top-notch issue in Wakulla and Leon Counties,” notes 1000 Friends’ Pattison. “’Saving Wakulla Springs’ has generated lively community dialogue, and brought about meaningful changes in local plans and regulations.”

Florida springs expert Jim Stevenson explains, “The Tallahassee Democrat coverage of the ecological decline of Wakulla Spring has raised public awareness and enhanced support for the protection of this extraordinary Florida spring.”

One of the largest freshwater springs in the nation, Wakulla Springs’ health is in decline. The series highlighted a number of factors, including a history of poor land-use decisions. It also featured steps being taken to protect the springs, including acquisition of sinkholes and lands above the caves in Wakulla County to protect the water flowing to the spring. In addition to these reader-friendly and informative articles, the Democrat also sponsored a community forum and ran a series of editorials calling for improved springshed protection.

Since the series was published, Wakulla County has adopted a countywide Comprehensive Plan policy requiring “nitrogen reducing” septic tanks, and Leon County is considering a similar requirement for its portion of the Wakulla Springshed. The city of Tallahassee has agreed to spend $160 million to improve its wastewater operations, and Tallahassee and Leon County have agreed to change planning policies to allow sewer to be extended to rural areas to help prevent groundwater contamination. Additionally, development in northern Wakulla County and southern Leon County is receiving increasing scrutiny from residents, local governments and state agencies. Groups such as the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs are holding forums on springs-related issues. And more local officials and residents are attending meetings of the Wakulla Springs Basin Working Group to discuss solutions.

"The Democrat succeeded in translating often complex technical and scientific information into a series of engaging and reader-friendly articles,” said Pattison. “It brought the issues home to a diverse audience.”

The “Saving Wakulla Springs” series has also been recognized by the American Planning Association and the Society of Environmental Journalists. It received the Best of Gannett Public Service Award and is a finalist for the Knight Foundation for Public Service Online Journalism Award.

1000 Friends’ Al Burt Award is presented annually for “a body of outstanding journalism that keeps the issues affecting Florida’s future in the public eye.” 1000 Friends of Florida is presenting six other awards at separate events over the course of 2007.

A statewide nonprofit organization, 1000 Friends was founded in 1986 to serve as Florida's growth management watchdog. It has been presenting awards for innovative growth management efforts since 1990.