In the season four finale of Water for Fighting, host Brett Cyphers heads to Crystal River to sit down with community champion and fourth-generation Floridian Lisa Moore — a teacher, advocate, and the driving force behind Save Crystal River.
Lisa shares what it was like growing up on Florida’s Gulf Coast — childhoods spent jumping into spring vents, fishing off docks, and roaming the river by boat before she could even drive a car. But over time, that paradise shifted. Storms, invasive vegetation, and declining water quality turned Kings Bay into a murky, oxygen-starved system smothered by algae.
Instead of accepting the loss of a place she loved, Lisa and a handful of neighbors formed Save Crystal River — determined to restore the ecosystem one spring, one canal, and one grant application at a time. With help from state leaders and restoration experts at Sea & Shoreline, they launched a massive effort to remove decades of muck, open spring vents, and plant vast meadows of native eelgrass.
From removing decades of muck to re-establishing native eelgrass and restoring spring vents, the project has transformed Crystal River into a model for grassroots environmental action. Manatees have returned, the water is clearer, and the community is proof that big change can start small.
This episode is part inspiration, part behind-the-scenes look at how a determined group of locals helped bring a river back to life.
Save Crystal River’s success wouldn’t have been possible without the continued support of local and state leaders who championed the restoration of Kings Bay and consistently believed in the mission. Special thanks to:
County Commissioner Rebecca Bays, for her unwavering support both locally and in Tallahassee
Charlie Dean, Wilton Simpson, Ralph Massullo, and JJ Grow, for their advocacy and commitment to protecting Florida’s springs
Deputy Secretary Adam Blalock and the entire team at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, whose partnership and guidance were instrumental in securing springs funding over the years
And a sincere acknowledgment to the Governor, whose support allowed this restoration to move forward at the scale needed
Their collective leadership helped turn a grassroots effort into a nationally recognized restoration success.
This episode is brought to by my friends at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES)
RES is the nation’s leader in ecological restoration, helping to restore Florida’s natural resources with water quality and stormwater solutions that offer communities guaranteed performance and outcomes. Check them out at www.res.us
This episode is also brought to you by my friends at Sea and Shoreline.
Sea and Shoreline is the Southeast’s leading innovator in protecting coastal communities from devastating storms and restoring ecosystems that once faced ecological collapse. Visit their website at www.Seaandshoreline.com.
Please be sure to check out the Florida Specifier Podcast hosted by Ryan Matthews and myself as part of a new venture where we’re striving to become Florida’s first source for environmental news, educational tools, and unique perspectives on our state’s natural environment and the events that shape it. To learn more about its flagship print publication and more, visit The Florida Specifier.
You can follow the show on LinkedIn and Instagram @flwaterpod, and you can reach me directly at
[email protected] with your comments and suggestions for who and/or what you’d like to know more about.
Production of this podcast is by Lonely Fox Studios. Thanks to Karl Sorne for making the best of what he had to work with. And to David Barfield for the amazing graphics and technical assistance.
And finally, a very special thank you goes out to Bo Spring from the Bo Spring Band for giving permission to use his music for this podcast. The song is called Doing Work for Free, and you should check out the band live, or wherever great music is sold.
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