Help us keep Peacock, Madison & Troy OPEN!!

The North Florida Springs Alliance(NFSA)is the citizen's support organization that partners with the state to support operations at Troy, Peacock and Madison Blue state parks. Many of you may recall that the NFSA just completed the interpretive trail at Peacock.

This Saturday the manager of Troy, Peacock and Madison Blue state parks will be attending our BoD meeting at Troy Springs at 3 PM. He will be in a position to answer questions about these proposed closures and will also be able to discuss with us how to effectively lobby for getting these 3 parks off of the list. Members and non members are encouraged to attend.

The NFSA has about 150 active members. There is strength in numbers and the more members we have the more lobbying influence we may have upon the decision makers in this park closure process. I'd like to encourage you to join if you have not already done so. Click on the link above and join using your PayPal account as shown on the webpage.

If we have specific actions to take such as letter writing, and e-mail campaign or whatever we can do to help influence this decision making process you can be confident that the BoD of the NFSA will actively pursue taking these steps and will make sure our membership is heard on this issue.



Jim Wyatt
Treasurer, NFSA

date of the BoD meeting would be nice... :)

*nvm... "this saturday" should have been a clue...

I am kinda busy these days (what's new?). But I completely will write a letter and explain how far I travel and how much I've used these parks and how much money comes to FL by cave divers traveling there.

It would be nice if someone (hint, hint) will post where I can find through all the (justified) b*tching posts where I send the letters. I'm too busy to wade through everything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Squirrel Girl

I am kinda busy these days (what's new?). But I completely will write a letter and explain how far I travel and how much I've used these parks and how much money comes to FL by cave divers traveling there.

It would be nice if someone (hint, hint) will post where I can find through all the (justified) b*tching posts where I send the letters. I'm too busy to wade through everything.

---

These are lists of both the Florida house and senate committees. I assume that appropriations will write the final spending bills. The Gov. has until Feb 8th to submit a proposed budget.

http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/sectio...ommittees.aspx

http://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/i...TOKEN=10054662

We will be up there diving Little River on Saturday and will move over in the afternoon for the meeting. Thanks Jim.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jim Wyatt

The North Florida Springs Alliance(NFSA)is the citizen's support organization that partners with the state to support operations at Troy, Peacock and Madison Blue state parks. Many of you may recall that the NFSA just completed the interpretive trail at Peacock.

This Saturday the manager of Troy, Peacock and Madison Blue state parks will be attending our BoD meeting at Troy Springs at 3 PM. He will be in a position to answer questions about these proposed closures and will also be able to discuss with us how to effectively lobby for getting these 3 parks off of the list. Members and non members are encouraged to attend.

The NFSA has about 150 active members. There is strength in numbers and the more members we have the more lobbying influence we may have upon the decision makers in this park closure process. I'd like to encourage you to join if you have not already done so. Click on the link above and join using your PayPal account as shown on the webpage.

If we have specific actions to take such as letter writing, and e-mail campaign or whatever we can do to help influence this decision making process you can be confident that the BoD of the NFSA will actively pursue taking these steps and will make sure our membership is heard on this issue.



Jim Wyatt
Treasurer, NFSA

---

Jim - Be sure to let us "out of state" NFSA members know what we can do to support your efforts. My MS-Word program stands ready... :)

I definitely like Pete's (superlyte27) idea of pass holders dropping a daily attendance slip into the iron ranger... so simple and effective... :clapper

I have a good friend who works for a state representative on the Ag & Natural Resources Appropriations Committee. I know they are aware of this situation. I don't really understand state government well enough to know how much power this one representative would have here, but I'd be happy to pass along anything you think might be helpful. I already gave her a few paragraphs about how much foreign and out-of-state tourism Peacock in particular brings into the state.

As was mentioned by someone on the thread started by Kelly J, those of us from out of state have a quandry. It costs me about the same to fly from Houston to Coz as it does to fly to FL. They are going to tip the scale for many divers that don't live in the FL area.

I just donated to the cause. Let me know if I can do anything else to help.

I received my intro to cave a few months ago and have already spent a bunch of money travelling down to Florida, staying at the local hotels, eating at the local restaurants, and buying equipment at the local shops. My buddy and I are heading down again in February and had planned on making it a regular thing. It’s hard to believe that they can’t see the bigger picture with closing down these parks. We’ll all just end up spending our money elsewhere.

I'd happily pay more that $4 to dive Peacock if that helps with the State's budget.

Is there a link to the list of proposed State Parks affected in the proposal? My local news media mentions a local park but not the complete listing.

I just sent money to the NFSA today and have just finished a letter that will be mailed when Linda from Cave Excursions emails me the address.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by metaldector

Is there a link to the list of proposed State Parks affected in the proposal? My local news media mentions a local park but not the complete listing.

---

Florida DEP Proposes to Close 53 State Parks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by darkdiver211

I just sent money to the NFSA today and have just finished a letter that will be mailed when Linda from Cave Excursions emails me the address.

---

We appreciate your support and help. Today we will meet,and have more information. Since you joined,you can expect a newsletter that will give you the details. Welcome aboard!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by metaldector

Is there a link to the list of proposed State Parks affected in the proposal? My local news media mentions a local park but not the complete listing.

---

http://audubonoffloridanews.org/

Thanks for the link. It is sad to see our cave diving springs (State Parks) on the list. I think however, a concerted effort on the part of all cave divers to keep these open may result in saving our diving parks. Many of those Parks on the lists probably should be on the list only to be opened again in the future if and when the State has the money to operate them properly. We are a small but vocal group, in closing our springs it leaves us without caves to dive. In closing a picnic area there are many other picnic areas still open to the public. We need to be vocal at all levels and stress to our representatives that diving parks are few and don't require a lot of assets. An alternative to closing some of the parks is to open them to camping (a fee generating idea). I'd camp at Peacock, or Madison if given the opportunity.

Read the article again. The state is considering selling some of the parks, or turning over management to local entities. Either action will likely lose the parks from state control for a long time and could likely end cave diving at those parks. And as nice as it would be to have camp sites at Peacock, Madison, etc, that costs money and the focus is to cut back expenditures. They're not looking at the future. If they were, they would see that closing many of these parks, even the non-cave diving parks, will likely result in a decrease in revenue from annual passes.

Please on behalf of all of us Yankee cave divers let us know where to send donations or letters that would do the greatest good.
It is disturbing to be this far away and feel powerless to be a part of the fight to save these treasures.
I wish that they would just go back to the season pass for the parks that dive and let those funds maintain them.
The last thing we need is closers of dive locations, everyone looses even the springs themselves.
Cave divers are the stewards of the springs those who lead the charge for conservation and if we must rally to support these locations.

JCG

Don't forget the commerical pass its $214.00 a year to teach at the springs.

According to the state park website, they are revising the commercial fee. It will be in the $250-500 range. AA lot of instructors have it just for Peacock. That will be a significant decrease in revenue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RN

According to the state park website, they are revising the commercial fee. It will be in the $250-500 range. AA lot of instructors have it just for Peacock. That will be a significant decrease in revenue.

---

And they think we will be renewing?? After they close all the parks we teach in they what to go up on the pass.