Sanford Artist Karen Harrod will premier a colorful new wildlife map of the St. Johns River at an upcoming artists reception at the Steinway Gallery in Altamonte Springs on Friday evening, Aug. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. The map, which Harrod designed, includes not just the river basin but richly adorned depictions of many of the animals which live in and around the St. Johns. Spread throughout the map are images of the Florida Black Bear, manatees, limpkins, roseate spoonbills, anhingas, and other animals and plants commonly found in the river basin. The large full color map, especially designed to help illustrate the river for an upcoming documentary, "Alligator Princess of America's Nile", benefits from Harrod's years of work as a wildlife artist. The St. Johns, one of the few rivers in North America to flow north, was historically referred to as the "Nile of the Americas" for that reason. It is distinguished by a very high rate of biological diversity of both animals and plants since two climatic zones---warm temperate and subtropic---meet here. Also on display at the reception will be work by artists David Gillespie and Bob Jackson, a People's Choice Award Winner.

Harrod, formerly an award-winning editor and art director of the Florida Audubon's magazine, The Florida Naturalist, illustrated a book on sea turtles, Jack Rudloe's "Time of the Turtle" (Alfred A. Knopf), and created an earlier historic map of the river for the non-fiction book "River of Lakes: A Journey on Florida's St. Johns River" (University of Georgia Press.).

The St. Johns, which flows some 310 miles from below Blue Cypress Lake to the Atlantic east of Jacksonville, has long been a vital natural feature for those who live along the middle river at Lake Monroe. Sanford was historically regarded as the "Gateway City to South Florida", and was the southernmost port for the luxury steamships, which plied the river between the 1830's and the 1930's.

"Alligator Princess of America's Nile" is the documentary chronicle of environmentalist Michelle Thatcher's solo paddling adventure over the entire length of the St. Johns, including its three tributaries. It is currently being edited for national distribution. The Steinway Gallery is located at 303 E. Altamonte Springs Dr., in Altamonte Springs (32701). For directions or information, contact 407-339-3771. For more about Harrod's wildlife art, visit: http://harroddesign.com/wp/?page_id=2