The cave police- who are they???

[Kelly Jessop]

The term cave police has such negative connotations, inferring that big brother is watching over you or someone. Anybody that intervenes gets that moniker, and usually associated with some form of ridicule. But, who are the cave police??? Before answering that question, some things to consider are all sites we access are not a right but a privilege, and these privileges can and have been removed without any notice. Also, access to the sites we take for granted have been earned by someone before you, and a conscious and ongoing effort is occurring to maintain access. The argument, that I live in such and such area, and it is my right as a tax payer doesn't float that boat. So going back to the original question, who are the cave police??? We all are and all should be. We know the rules of cave diving, why they were formed and the rationale behind them, and we know when something doesn't look right at a dive site. If we turn a blind eye towards something that looks like a potential accident waiting to happen, then we have the potential to lose access at that sight, and like most things, losing something is far easier than gaining something back you lost. Has the cave diving community been in that bomb hardened bunker with the key about to be turned- Yes! We lost JB a couple times, and some people worked real hard. Did you know we almost Little River? Why bring this up. We have a big thank you to give to the Eagles Nest team that have gone to bat multiple times to keep this site off the extinct list,but prevention is the best medicine, and us being observant and protecting the site, will save future discussions with government officials. There are some future things to look forward to, but again, us watching for abuse of the sites is imperative. So I want to redefine the cave police definition to mean alert, cave divers that defend their access to sites specific to them, with being observant and capable of reporting unusual occurrences.

[bamafan]

Right after the father and son incident at Christmas there was the "see something say something" initiative being promoted by the cds, nacd and IUCRR. It didn't last long at all because what it really meant was see something say something as long as it isn't me or my buddy. It is a nice thought you have but nothing will change.

[Kelly Jessop]

It is a nice thought you have but nothing will change.

That is a possibility,but my goal is awareness. I think many people think the sites we access are an entitlement, without understanding they are a privilege. Many people are new to the sport, and don't really know that gaining access to some sites has been a long fought negotiation, and there has been a lot of effort to assure continued access. We can be fatalistic and say, "nothing will change", or "somebody else is responsible", which will last until we do lose something like Eagle's Nest, then the question what could we have done, when it is too late. We like to throw around the words cave diving community, so if we want to act like a community versus a fraternity, then understanding what is needed to keep our access is important.

[FW]

...We lost JB a couple times, and some people worked real hard. Did you know we almost Little River? ...

We also lost Peacock for a couple years, Manatee, Alachua, Hart, Lafayette Blue, Madison Blue, and even Ginnie and Devil's Eye. What people don't seem to "get" is it was the cave diving organizations that saved those places. I see a lot of jokes about the NACD, and the NSS-CDS, but if it weren't for them, there would be no cave diving in Florida today. Because there were no organizations in Missouri, they lost several great sites, and never got them back. Many new cave divers don't realize that the entire state of Florida was on the verge of banning cave diving. Lafayette, and Gilchrist counties did ban cave diving for many years.

[patpicos]

i think it is instructive to read old NSS magazines from 1970 onwards. it starts to paint the struggles over the years with site access.

[FW]

i think it is instructive to read old NSS magazines from 1970 onwards. it starts to paint the struggles over the years with site access.

Old issues of NSS-CDS UnderWater Speleology also.

[patpicos]

Old issues of NSS-CDS UnderWater Speleology also.

thats what i meant

now i need to get my hands on the NACD ones in digital format

[Line Squirrel]

I'm Negan

[patpicos]

I'm Negan

You were bought out with pickles

[MORGAN]

I'm Negan

Negan? Is that like being vegan?