by Busy Shires | Nov 21, 2024 | Events, News
Mark Emery’s stunning photographs of the springs showcased just how important Marion County’s springs are to ensuring clean drinking water for residents, visitors, as well as farms and businesses. Emery is an Emmy award-winning cinematographer, composer and photographer for National Geographic, the Smithsonian Network, BBC and PBS.
Event photos by Sean Dowie Photography.
Through Mark Emery’s photographs, Margaret Ross Tolbert’s paintings, and Dr. Jason Gulley’s inspiring story about the restoration of Crystal River, this year’s Summit raised awareness about the importance of protecting the Farmland Preservation Area because, it not only helps to protect the equine industry, it also helps to protect the aquifer recharge areas for Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs.
(L to R) Gulley, Tolbert, Emery
A Master Storyteller
Mark Emery, an Emmy award winning cinematographer, shared his spectacular photographs and videos of the springs at Horse Farms Forever’s Fifth Annual Conservation Summit where over 450 guests joined us on Thursday, November 14 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Arena.
Emery spoke passionately about the global importance of Silver Springs and the Silver River, as it is the world’s largest artesian spring and one of the most beautiful rivers in the world. The river’s primeval woodlands made it the perfect backdrop for many films including the original Tarzan movie. Film crews are still drawn to the Silver River, which was named for its silvery appearance.
We don’t realize what an international treasure this is, and it’s right here in our backyard.
Cinematographer, Composer, and Photographer, Mark Emery Films
As a lifelong resident of Marion County, Emery has seen the difference in the water quality at Silver Springs, as well as the number and type of fish in the Silver River. He is hopeful that restoration work to join Silver Springs and the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers will reestablish the fish species and create more suitable habitat for manatees.
He also shared colorful stories about wrestling alligators and milking rattlesnakes at Ross Allen’s Reptile Institute in the 1960s.
Over 450 guests joined Horse Farms Forever at our Fifth Annual Conservation Summit held on Thursday, November 14 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Arena.
Full Immersion
Renowned artist of the springs, Margaret Ross Tolbert talked about how the springs and the translucent quality of the water are her muse.
The paradisiacal springs of North Florida are my paintings’ subject and metaphor. The springs paintings begin on site at the water’s edge and often in the water. I swim in the springs, I sketch underwater; and I’m inspired to write when I am beside them.
International Artist of the Springs
Her large-scale paintings have been installed in many museums and airports across the United States. Most recently, an 18-foot painting of Silver Springs was installed at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
“I am proud that a painting of our very own Silver Springs welcomes people to the US Embassy in Turkey, and that a spring serves a symbol for our nation,” said Tolbert.
Conservation in Action
National Geographic Explorer and geology professor Dr. Jason Gulley spoke about the science of the springs and how the successful restoration project in Crystal River gives him hope about the future of Florida’s springs.
Crystal River got its name because the water was turquoise and crystal clear. But due to some poor decisions about waste water and sewage treatment, algae smothered the aquatic grasses that were the foundation of the healthy, spring fed estuary. It got so bad, if you held your hand in front of your face, you could barely see your hand.
National Geographic Explorer, Geology Professor, Cave Diver
The restoration project at Crystal River has become the model for the rest of the state. Dr. Gulley’s photograph of a mother manatee and her calf was taken in the restored Hunter Springs, which is located in Crystal River. The photo is among several highly commended in the BBC’s 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Horse Farms Forever was honored to present the Acorn Award to Guy Marwick because through his decades-long leadership, he has helped protect thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land in Marion County and across Florida. Guy, who now serves as the Executive Director of The Felburn Foundation, was the original Founder and Director of the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center. The museum opened over 30 years ago in 1991 as a partnership with Marion County Public Schools and over 15,000 children visit the museum every year.
(L to R): HFF President Bernie Little, Guy Marwick, President of the Great Florida Riverway Trust, Margaret Spontak.
Springs Forever! Poster Contest
To help nurture and encourage the next generation, Horse Farms Forever sponsored a poster and essay contest for all K-12 students in partnership with the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District. The winners were presented with ribbons and gift certificates.
Division 10th–12th:
- 1st Place: Julianna Butler (Dunnellon)
- 2nd Place: Matthew Bishop (Acceleration Academy)
Division 7th–9th:
- 1st Place: Laylia Johnson (Fort McCoy)
- 2nd Place: Mia L Senteno (North Marion)
Division 4th–6th:
- 1st Place: Lilly Dubon (Reddick)
- 2nd Place: Lucas Butler (Dunnellon)
- 3rd Place: Taelor Crawford (Reddick)
Division 2nd–3rd:
- 1st Place: Sloane Freeman (Reddick)
- 2nd Place: Lexi Smith (Sparr)
- 3rd Place: Hannah Bowman (Sparr)
Division K–1st:
- 1st Place: Logan Freeman (Reddick)
- 2nd Place: Leo Plaskett (Anthony)
The Vital Connection Between Springs and Farmland
The purpose of this year’s Springs Forever! Conservation Summit was to create awareness about the Farmland Preservation Area and why it is not only the lifeblood for the horse industry, but it is also the lifeblood for our springs and the groundwater for the citizens of Marion County.
Thank you for joining us!
And a big THANK-YOU to our Title Sponsor, Brook Ledge Horse Transportation and our Presenting Sponsor, Advent Health Ocala!
AdventHealth made a compelling presentation about their new Harnessing Health Equine Worker Health Initiative at the Summit. www.HarnessingHealthOcala.com
L to R: Amy Mangan, Executive Director, AdventHealth Ocala Foundation, Erika Skula, President & CEO, and Billye Mallory, Community Relations Manager
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Sara Powell Fennessy, Mark Emery, Busy Shires, Bernie Little, Dr. Jason Gulley, Margaret Ross Tolbert, and Guy Marwick
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Traci Deen, President & CEO, Conservation Florida; George Isaacs, General Manager, Bridlewood Farm; Lonny Powell, CEO, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' & Owners' Association; Sara Powell Fennessy, Executive Director, Horse Farms Forever; Bryan Fennessy
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Mary Jane Hunt, HFF Founder Member and Bill Kearns, HFF Founder Member
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Rachel Rothenberg, Walter Schytte and Ann Louise Drake
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HFF Founder and Director Linda Bammann with guests Ron and Ann Scott
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Shirley Rudnianyn, Mary Emery, John Rudnianyn, and Mark Emery
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Chester Weber, HFF Founder and Director; Michelle Stone, Marion County Commissioner; Charlie Stone, former member of the FL House of Representatives
Mermaid Britt Renee with Alice Sasnett-Valle, Gifted Educator & Enrichment Facilitator and the students from Reddick -Collier Elementary
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Vivi Serena, Chairman, MCSWCD and two of the winners of the Springs Forever Poster Contest
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Mark Emery speaks with guests at the Conservation Summit.
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Circus and Jorge Garcia-Bengochea of Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses
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Lonny Powell, CEO, Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ & Owners’ Association, Busy Shires, HFF Director of Conservation, Sara Powell Fennessy, HFF Executive Director, Amy Chesmer, New England Philanthropy Officer, American Farmland Trust
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A little Mermaid Time for a young guest.
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Mary Jane Hunt, HFF Founder; Busy Shires, HFF Director of Conservation; Kent Guinn, former Mayor of Ocala
Paul & Ann Kaplan
Matt & Courtney Varney
Bill Kearns
Nicole Hornblower
by Horse Farms Forever | Oct 17, 2024 | Events, News
Be Seen Making a Difference
There is an amazing groundswell of interest in investing in the future of Marion County by keeping it open and beautiful. Take a peek below at the businesses, non-profits and farms who have aligned with us as Sponsors for this year’s Conservation Summit already. There’s room for more!
The Summit is a golden opportunity to be seen by Horse Farm’s Forever’s members and leaders in the equine and business community. And your sponsorship supports the important conversations about conservation that we must have in Marion County as it continues to grow.
The CEP looks forward to Horse Farms Forever’s Conservation Summit each year. Whether we are hearing about survey results, growth patterns, or from award-winning filmmakers, the Summit is an event not to be missed!
President and CEO, Ocala Metro CEP
Join the Conversation
We are encouraged by the diversity of our sponsors for this year’s Springs Forever Conservation Summit. Our mission truly has friends in many places. Take a look below at the people and organizations that recognize along with us that our springs and aquifer are a precious resource worth celebrating and preserving. Then, come to the Summit! Our sponsors will be there when the doors open at 4pm, ready to share an inspiring conversation about conservation with you.
A celebration of Marion County’s First Magnitude Springs and the mighty Floridian Aquifer through film, art, music, and science. Featuring filmmaker and composer, Mark Emery; artist Margaret Ross Tolbert; and geologist Jason Gulley.
Thursday, November 14th at Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.
Doors open at 4pm for poster and print signing/meet and greet
Program is 5-7pm in the auditorium
Tickets are $45 and include light fare and beverages
Seats are filling fast. Please preregister.
Here's a preview from our Keynote Speaker, Mark Emery:
The Saint Bernard Foundation
Paul & Ann Kaplan
Matt & Courtney Varney
Bill Kearns
by Horse Farms Forever | Sep 16, 2024 | Events, News
Delivered Once Again!
Horse Farms Forever is immensely grateful for the unwavering support and commitment of our 2024 Conservation Summit Sponsors. We continue to be delighted by the enthusiasm shown by the businesses and individuals of Marion County for our open spaces and beautiful places. Brook Ledge Horse Transportation is once again leading the herd as our Title Sponsor for the fifth year in a row.
Those blue and white horse vans are a common sight around Ocala. Each time you see one, we hope you’ll give a smile and a silent salute to a proven partner and ally in farmland preservation. Better yet, come to the Summit and thank them personally!
Here’s Brook Ledge’s Manager, Brian Roberts, leading off last year’s Summit with a few words about why horses and horse farms are so important to Marion County:
Welcome Advent Health!
And now Advent Health Ocala has stepped forward as Presenting Sponsor, joining Brook Ledge at the head of the herd. Advent Health has been a faithful supporter of our mission and our Summit for many years. They understand the vital link between community health and the environment. They also have a special place in their hearts for our horse farms and the people who work in the equine industry. This has led to the establishment of the AdventHealth Ocala’s Harnessing Health: Equine Worker Health Initiative. Also, AdventHealth Ocala Foundation is investing $10,000 to seed the hospital’s Care 360° program fund. Care 360 is a no-cost program that coordinates transportation, meal delivery and more for underserved patients, including the equine worker population. We are excited to be aligned with this innovative program that will help to sustain the vital staff that keep our Marion County equine industry world class.
Dive In
This year we celebrate the beauty and value of the Springs and the Floridian Aquifer that flows beneath our feet. The Farmland Preservation Area was established in part to protect the springsheds of Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs. The health of our water and our farmland are interconnected on a deep level. The Farmland Preservation Area serves as a valuable recharge area for the Springs and the mineral-rich drinking water nourishes our livestock and all of us. The beauty and recreational opportunities provided by the Springs are a big part of the unique and valuable identity of Marion County.
Photo by Mark Emery
Come and celebrate the Springs with us on November 14th, from 5-7pm at Ocala Breeders’ Sales. There will be a poster and print signing by Mark Emery and Margaret Ross Tolbert along with light fare and sponsor tables at 4pm with the main event starting at 5pm. This event will be a visual feast with the video and images shared by Mark Emery and the inspiring multimedia art of Margaret Ross Tolbert. The Florida Springs Institute will balance all of that art with their presentation on science of the Springs and how to keep them protected. We will also honor the Felburn Foundation’s Guy Marwick with the Acorn Award. And come to cheer on the next generation as we display and present awards to the winners of the Springs Forever Art Contest for Marion County’s K-12 students.
There are still Conservation Summit Sponsorship Opportunities Available!
by Horse Farms Forever | Sep 5, 2024 | Events, News
Horse Farms Forever, Inc.® is pleased to announce Mark Emery, an Emmy award-winning cinematographer, composer, and photographer for National Geographic, the Smithsonian Network, BBC, and PBS as our Keynote Speaker at the 2024 Conservation Summit to be held on Thursday, November 14, 5-7pm at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Arena. Renowned artist of the springs Margaret Ross Tolbert and National Geographic Explorer, cave diver and geology professor Jason Gulley will also join us.
Mark’s stunning photography and videos of the springs will help create more awareness about how important Marion County’s springs are to ensuring clean drinking water for residents and visitors.
Title Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
Thank You!!
Mark Emery will sign prints of his photographs. Margaret Ross Tolbert will sign posters of her paintings.
Prints and posters will be available for purchase at the event. The pre-event starts at 4:00 PM and will be held at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Arena.
The springs have inspired artists for centuries. We welcome special guest speaker Margaret Ross Tolbert, internationally renowned artist of the springs and author of AQUIFERious. Tolbert’s Water’s Margins exhibit was recently featured at the Appleton Museum of Art. From large-scale paintings to more intimate works created underwater on pieces of slate, Tolbert uses an array of kaleidoscopic blues and earth tones to express her passion for and understanding of these unique subaquatic environments.
Enlightening Science
Also joining us will be Jason Gulley, PhD, professor of Geology at the University of South Florida, photographer and National Geographic Explorer. Jason’s research and photography career have taken him on expeditions to all seven continents, from underwater caves in Florida, the Caribbean and Africa as well as to glaciers in Alaska, the Arctic and the Mt Everest region of Nepal.
He has a PhD in geology from the University of Florida (2010) and is a technical diving and rebreather instructor. Jason’s research emphasizes the human impacts on the environment, cave systems, the Aquifer, and especially Florida’s springs.
To help nurture and encourage the next generation, Horse Farms Forever is sponsoring a poster and essay contest for all K-12 students in partnership with the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District. The winners will be presented with ribbons and gift certificates at the Summit. We will display the art and essays online and at the event.
Horse Farms Forever is honored to present the Acorn Award to Guy Marwick because through his decades-long leadership, he has helped protect thousands of acres of environmentally sensitive land in Marion County and across Florida. Guy, who now serves as the Executive Director of The Felburn Foundation, was the original Founder and Director of the Silver River Museum & Environmental Education Center. The museum opened over 30 years ago in 1991 as a partnership with Marion County Public Schools and over 15,000 children visit the museum every year.
- Florida is home to more than 1,000 artesian springs that are dependent on groundwater from the Floridan Aquifer System.
- There are three First Magnitude Springs in Marion County and together, these springs discharge over 1 billion gallons of water per day: Silver Glen Springs, Rainbow Springs, and Silver Springs, which is the largest artesian spring in the world.
- The Springs Protection Zones for Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs are located within the 193,000-acre Farmland Preservation Area, which was designated in 2005 by Marion County to protect the rare agricultural soils and springsheds in the area. You can see the springsheds on the above map as the yellow shaded areas. The red line is the boundary of the Farmland Preservation Area.
- HFF is raising awareness about the importance of the Springs Protection Zones in the Farmland Preservation Area to help protect the recharge areas for the Floridan Aquifer. The aquifer is referred to as “the lifeblood of the springs” and is the source of much of Florida’s drinking water.
Join us!
November 14th, 5-7pm with book and poster signings at 4pm.
Tickets are $45 and include auditorium seating, light fare and beverages. Doors open at 4pm.
At Ocala Breeder’s Sales with ample free parking.
Questions? Email Busy Shires, Horse Farms Forever Director of Conservation Strategies or call (386) 853-4437.
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by Michelle Grald | Aug 6, 2024
Chances are, if you have attended our annual Conservation Summit, you have had the chance to meet our friends at Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses! 
We are thankful for the amazing work they do and the lives they touch every day. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet them!
To help nurture and encourage the next generation, Horse Farms Forever is sponsoring a poster and essay contest for all K-12 students in partnership with the Marion County Soil and Water Conservation District. The winners will be presented with ribbons and gift certificates at the Summit. We will display the art and essays online and at the event.
Marketing & Media Partners
Paul & Ann Kaplan
Matt & Courtney Varney
Bill Kearns
Nicole Hornblower
