From St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge near Tallahassee, to northern Pasco County, stretches 240 miles of Florida’s Nature Coast. No where in Florida does such a small number of people share such an expansive reach of undeveloped coast. The Nature Coast is where people live, but it is where nature lives too. Here, the land and water, the past and present, are one – but for how long?

Much of the Nature Coast is in the throes of change. The pressure of rapid development has increased tremendously in recent years because the Nature Coast has what people value – abundant clean water, beauty and space. The result is potentially explosive growth. Residents of Dekle Beach could soon be adjacent to a massive 1,200-acre golf course community. In northern Pasco County an even larger resort development threatens a small black bear population. Tarmac industries, a multinational cement manufacturing company based out of Italy, has proposed a 4,000-acre limestone mine in the heart of Gulf Hammock swamp north of Yankeetown, compromising an entire watershed.

Along with major looming threats, the Nature Coast continues to struggle against persistent environmental and socioeconomic issues. Toxic effluent from the Buckeye paper mill has created a dead zone in the Fenholloway River and Gulf of Mexico. Residents have worked for three decades to find a solution to this ongoing problem. Another kind of runoff, agricultural and residential, damages springsheds and threatens estuarine fisheries across the Nature Coast. Wildlife, such as the endangered West Indian manatee, are in peril as coastal communities like Crystal River and Homosassa grow.

The Nature Coast is forgotten no more. Development of the Nature Coast is inevitable. How the Nature Coast is developed is the question. We still have time to preserve what remains and create a viable, sustainable future for all.

My conservation photography project “Life on the Edge” (LOTE) uses the visual power of photography, and the collective energy of individual and institutional partnerships, to share the story of Florida’s Nature Coast with the goal of helping to mold a sustainable future for all. Photography is a powerful medium through which people can learn and change. It is with my photography that I carry a message of stewardship and hope that inspires people to appreciate the Nature Coast for its breathtaking beauty and abundant resources. The Nature Coast is Florida’s last undeveloped coast, sheltering endangered wildlife, unbridled landscapes, and quaint cultures that, if protected, will ensure the region’s sustainability into the future.

Support Life on the Edge

Donate

Life on the Edge is fiscally sponsored by the 501(c)3 Legacy Institute for Nature & Culture (LINC), which allows for tax deductible donations to the Life on the Edge initiative. Your financial support will help create a sustainable future for Florida's Nature Coast. When you click on the donate link, another window will open to LINC's page on the "Network for Good" Web site. There you will enter in your donation amount AND in the "designation (optional)" field write, "Life on the Edge." Your donation will pass through LINC's accounting system before reaching me. If you have any questions email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sponsor

Life on the Edge accepts sponsorships by non-profit and for-profit organizations. Each comes with its own cost-benefit strategy. Downloadable pdf sponsorship forms will soon be available.

Purchase a Print

For each print you buy, you help support Life on the Edge. Pick the size and price, then email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the file name of the image (seen in the caption box as you mouse-over each image in any given slide show). The print you choose doesn't have to be from the Life on the Edge. It can be from any gallery. Each print is of the highest archival quality. We do not offer framing or matting services. Eric initials each print in the lower right corner.

Stay informed

Subscribe to the Beautiful Earth e-Newsletter, where you will receive Life on the Edge updates.

Latest News

The Life on the Edge exhibit is at the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville (Click here for directions.) The exhibit will be on display until August 8.

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee will host the Life on the Edge exhibit with the opening reception on the second floor rotunda, Friday, August 27, 2010. I'm honored to be hosted by regional chancellor, Dr. Arthur M. Guilford. Click here for directions.

View these slide show categories to learn more about Florida's Nature Coast.

Aerial Tour

Big Bend Saltwater Paddle Trail (BBSWPT)

Cedar Key

Florida Forever

Tarmac Mine

Reserve at Sweetwater Estuary

SunWest Harbourtowne

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