For more than 14,000 years, Florida’s natives and newcomers set out on the St. Johns, Ocklawaha, and Silver Rivers in search of connection with nature, their fellow man, and a network of waterways that linked the state’s wild roots to its growing communities.

50 years ago, all of that changed.

Few can recall The Great Florida Riverway in its free-flowing glory. Before the Rodman/Kirkpatrick Dam was completed in 1968, the Ocklawaha River, the heart of The Great Florida Riverway, nurtured an expansive cypress forest, crystal-blue springs, vibrant fish migrations, and thriving wildlife. These wonders live on in photos and stories but remain just beyond the reach of our collective memory.

The Ocklawaha’s current state does not need to be its fate. Now is the time to breach the dam and reconnect the Ocklawaha to Silver Springs and the St. Johns River restoring a 217-mile network representing some of Florida’s most critical water resources and wildlife habitat.

Together, we can restore the ecological and economic health of the river and its communities from Lake Apopka to the Atlantic Ocean.