By Sarah Sell, University Communications and Marketing
When Hurricane Helene brought flooding to his St. Petersburg neighborhood in September 2024, USF English professor Thomas Hallock felt a renewed urgency to educate others about the region’s waterways. Though his home was spared, a new Creekshed project was born.
The interactive map is a collaboration between artists and writers that explores human and natural stories flowing through Tampa Bay’s watershed.
Motivated by the storm's impact, the team set out to show the connected system, from the Hillsborough River's source in the Green Swamp through waterways that stretch across the region’s urban areas and along Florida's Gulf Coast.
"These creeks and streams are going to make themselves known to us whether we like it or not," Hallock said. "Because every time there's a storm, the natural environment reminds us of where the water wants to go."
A look at the interactive Creekshed map created by USF librarians Amanda Boczar, Sydney Jordan and Theresa Burress. Users can click on an area around Tampa Bay and read the unique stories behind it.
The project builds on a Creekshed map created by USF Libraries. It was originally developed with Hallock and Eckerd College animal studies professor Amanda Hagood to showcase their columns in “Creative Loafing,” an independent weekly newspaper in Tampa Bay.
Supported by a $10,000 campus partnership grant, the Creekshed 2.0 map features a new layer of ten eco-ekphrastic reflections or creative responses that connect art, archives and the environment. Each contributor selected an archival object from USF Libraries that tells a story about the relationship between people, nature and what ultimately flows into the Gulf.
For each object, contributors created personal stories and poems that connect it with the environment. For Hallock, the stories reflect real-life experiences and loss caused by environmental shifts.
"It affects where you think you can live," Hallock said. "I decided to sell the home where my son grew up. We had to part with friends and community. I am personally grieving the loss of my home and community where my family came together 25 years ago."
Creekshed 2.0 features reflections on Florida's waters from Ybor City to Treasure Island. Contributors write about swamps, springs, lakes and bridges, touching on memory, heritage and change. Highlights include oysters at Gandy Bridge, a song about Treasure Island and stories tied to places like Lake Rogers, Madira Bickel Mound and Frenchman's Creek.
"I'm drawn to writing about Frenchman's Creek because of its layers,” Hagood said, who co-leads the project. "When we start to peel those layers back, we can see how people have been living on that site for a thousand years, how its ecology has supported us, and we, in our turn, have changed that ecology."
The interactive map will be officially launched during a celebration that coincides with Earth Day at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library from 4 to 5:30 p.m. The event will begin with a song by Seminole tribal member and songwriter Rita Youngman. It will feature several Creekshed 2.0 contributors who will read their pieces from the archival project.