About Us
Lauri deGaris, owner of Discover This Co., Inc is a marine biologist, historian, photographer, artist, tour guide and mom.
Educated as a marine biologist, Lauri worked for Jacksonville University. She assisted in creating a manatee protection plan for the St. Johns River and surveyed Right Whales along the southeast coast.
In 2000, Lauri combined her love for nature with her curiosity of history and began offering walking tours and public speaking services. Clients include Smithsonian Journeys, American Cruise Lines, National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Florida Humanities Council.
The 2020 pandemic forced us to reconsider what we do as a company. By combining our passion for history, nature, photography and art, we are embarking on a new path as Historical and Ecological Documentarians. We look forward to documenting important stories for future generations to know.
One of our favorite activities includes the creation of public art on local beaches. Our largest project to date brought over 100 people together to create a 47 ft. Right Whale shell mosaic. Community members collected shells for weeks in advance. Then, on a sunny January afternoon we gathered to create Amelia the Right Whale. Amelia the Right Whale is just one of many shell mosaics created by Lauri to raise awareness about ecological issues through art. To learn more about the creation of Amelia the Right Whale watch our video:
Lauri lives under the beam of light cast by Florida's oldest lighthouse, Amelia Island Lighthouse.
History is the tapestry of life, woven out of nature.
Lauri deGaris