SRWMD Meeting for Rock Bluff Springs Recreational Usage

[Dominick Gheesling]

SRWMD will be having a town hall meeting regarding recreational use for Rock Bluff Springs on Feb 28th at 5:30pm at the Bell Community Center in Bell. The site is being developed into a park and they are focusing on a buoy line for a swimming area. Although there currently are no plans to enable land access for cave diving in the park, if cave divers show up to the event and request it, the district may listen. This is the type of event that the cave diving community, and officers from the NSSCDS, should try to attend and make our voices heard.

[kensuf]

We got the details of this at the Gilchrist County Commission meeting yesterday. SRWMD is developing Rock Bluff into a park, which will be managed by Alachua Conservation Trust, a 501c3 (not part of Alachua County government). The town hall is primarily to seek input on the buoy lines they wish to install for dedicated swimming areas, but it also presents a unique opportunity for the cave diving community to give feedback.

Unfortunately, I am flying to the caribbean on Saturday and am unable to attend, but if you have any interest in having land access to Rock Bluff, the time to be heard is now.

I'll also see about getting a petition online for people that are unable to attend to sign.

[bamafan]

Will this park encompass the "backdoor" sinkhole or is it just the main entrance? It is a really cool cave and I can see both positives and negatives to easier access. I hope they don't do something crazy like prohibit scuba in the spring run. I would definitely go if it was possible.

[kensuf]

http://www.srwmd.state.fl.us/Archive...File/Item/1243

and

http://www.srwmd.state.fl.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=665