Your help needed

[WIdiver_Paul]

Your help is needed on behalf of the worldwide diving community: There is a county in Florida where Scuba has essentially been outlawed and you can help by attaching your signature to a petition to change this- How would you like it if Lake Michigan were off-limits to diving because one private group of divers were conducting a "scientific study".... indefinitely....

[NEHDAD]

I would be furious if I was them. I could not imagine if someone told me “We have made this off limits unless you belong to a private dive group”

Thanks for the heads up Paul and I just signed the petition. It was disappointing to see that I was only the 17th person to sign it though. Hopefully others on this board and Diver To Diver will also sign.

[Vtach]

Folks, if you want some more information pertaining to this subject read here:



I am always leery of signing these things based on a short, one sided opinion. I can't speak for everyone but I like to be informed and understand the petition before signing it. Personally, I don't have a problem with not diving a certain area if there is specific important research going on. From my understanding, Florida has some pretty significant problems with ground water quality and this is why the state is backing these type of projects. I think that there is a whole lot more to this story than was presented.

[Vtach]

1. I'm not from Florida.
2. I don't cave dive.
3. I not going to take up someone else's fight based on a few sentences and a link.

WIdiver_Paul,

My point is not whether this is right or wrong, it's about being informed. Your original post was misleading and the link you posted did not really explain much more. So I looked for a link pertaining to the other side and posted it for all to check out. IMHO, your reply really shows no strong evidence of argument other than conjecture and strong opinion. If the argument you/they are trying to make is valid and reasonable to the situation at hand, then the policy will be changed eventually with or without the petition based on local support. But sometimes using manipulation to gather support is a sure sign of a weak argument. I guess all those election ads have taken their toll on the sensitivity of the BS meter ;D, but if it looks like sheet, smells like sheet and tastes like sheet, then it must be sheet. No offense implied, just being honest about what I see.

Todd

[Vtach]

Like I said, there is waaaay more to this topic than meets the eye. Here is a post on The Deco Stop from the current WKPP project director and here is a link to the thread.




I suppose I could spend the better part of the evening crafting a lengthy response and outlining in detail all the issues but a brief statement will have to do. For the record, I do not speak on behalf of the State of Florida nor do I influence resource management policy on behalf of the WKPP. The State determines the priorities and my take on the current situation is they are more concerned at the moment with increasing nitrate levels at Wakulla Springs and increased dark water days due to poor stormwater management north of the park. Both are having a measurable economic and environmental impact. Species are disappearing from the park and glass bottom boats are not running. While I can appreciate the opinion of the cave diving Florida tax payer I have not seen many at the recent Tallahassee and Wakulla townhall meetings (addressing threats to the springs) nor did I see a big turnout from the cave diving community at the recent Walk for Wakulla Springs. I also believe that given the current research (meters, dye tracing, modeling) and the budgets allocated to this research the State is going to take a long, hard look at anything that could potentially place this research and the long term outlook of the resource at risk. A double fatality in Emerald Sink similar to the Eagle's Nest event this past summer could effectively shut things down and that is a real concern to the State, FSU, DEP, FGS, NWFWMD, etc. Not too long ago the WKPP had to recover an open water diver from Emerald Sink after his buddy decided it was a good idea to trespass on private property and drop 160ft to the bottom in 10ft visibility. This type of accident could have severe consequences today.

For the record, the WKPP is basically neutral on the recreational proposal given the State's current priorities and the fact that the WKPP is non-recreational in nature. The WKPP has specific protocols for operating in these environments and most significantly exceed current agency training not to mention the WKPP maintains STRICT access controls within the project unlike other recreational or guided sites. The WKPP is also focused on facilitating the current research with the hope that actions taken based on the data will clear these systems up and allow the project to continue more than 15 years of work. At some point down the road I suspect they will develop a recreational access policy and allocate the necessary budgets to hire rangers, build parking areas, steps and monitor activity but unless they can get a handle on the current issues impacting the springs I don't believe there will be anything clear enough to dive.

Regards,
Casey McKinlay
Project Director
Woodville Karst Plain Project

[Vtach]

Once again, my point is to illustrate that there is much more to this topic than meets the eye. I think it is very easy to turn this into a WKPP vs the world issue. The real point here is that the State of Florida has made this decision. They are not allowing recreational dive access to this area for whatever reason they deem necessary. Now if these reasons are flimsy then public outcry will prevail.

This is not uncommon especially around here. There are reasons that the State of Wisconsin has barred certain activites from public areas. There are many areas of public land where you cannot drive, bike, hunt, etc... and they prohibit those activities for a reason whether it be safety, conservation or some other valid reason. There will always be special interest groups banging on someones door to get these things changed based on what THEY find to be most important. It doesn't necessarily mean that everyone should or will share their opinion. To mislead people or not make available enough information in order for them to make an informed decision is wrong. That is my point. Enough said.

[SteveM]

Hmmmmmm, someone throw a bucket of water on these two...

[jasondbaker]

Interesting discussion. I'm all for open, equal access. While it was hard to judge the veracity of McKinlay's (WKPP Dir) statements, I enjoyed reading his response. I'm inclined to let the Florida taxpayers, politicians, and academics figure it out though. Maybe there should be a process where groups similar to the WKPP can petition for access.

I would not expect support from florida cavers if the county or state decided to close access to Wazee. I would expect significant support from informed local groups like the people on wiscuba and mnscuba.

When dealing with the State over the years I have found that it is always easier for them to continue to deny access to a closed resource than to open it up to the public.