Peacock Springs - A win for Protection!

[mpoucher]

Below is a news release concerning the purchase of property adjacent to Peacock Springs to help protect the water quality of the springs. The purchase was approved by Governor Jeb Bush and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday, October 3, 2006. We owe a big thanks to Bruce Ryan, a past Administrative Manager for the CDS who has since retired from cave diving and is working for the Trust for Public Land. Sandra and I had mentioned this property to him over a year ago and he was able to encourage his organization to acquire the land. It took a lot of hard work by many people since then to make it a reality. Jim Stevenson, Retired Director of the Springs Initiative, Gene Melton, Chair of the CDS, Jeff Bauer, Chair of the NACD, Dr. Jerald Milanich of the Florida Museum of Natural History, Bob Ballard, Deputy Secretary of Land and Recreation with FDEP, and Sean Roberts President of the FSS all gave support to the purchase. Doug Hattaway with Trust for Public Land was the Project Manager and and did a great job of making the deal happen. Many thanks to all that helped make this a reality.

News Release:

The Trust for Public Land has under contract a 481-acre property that will become an addition to Peacock Springs State Park, more than doubling the size of the park. The Governor and Cabinet approved the property's eventual acquisition of the site from TPL today. The site has several open karst windows to the Floridan aquifer which feed directly into the adjacent Peacock Spring - probably the most well explored underwater cave system in the state.

TPL project manager Doug Hattaway has been working with the landowner since January, and has had the property under contract since May. TPL expects to purchase the property by the end of October, and hopes to convey it to the state soon after that. Action by the Governor and Cabinet today ensured that the property will become part of the state park.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit land conservation organization that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 2 million acres of land in 45 states. Working in Florida since 1975, TPL has protected more than 300 sites - over 200,000 acres at a market value of more than $500 million.

Anne Nelson
Florida Public Affairs Director
The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land - Conserving land for people since 1972. Because everyone needs a place to play outdoors. www.tpl.org

Here is a link to the FDEP news release:

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary...10/1003_02.htm

Mike Poucher

[mswicord]

This is great! Is there a map available to show the new land? What are the names of the windows on the property? Are they drivable?

Mark

[amphipod06]

Mike,

That is outstanding, congratulations and thanks to all who made their contribution to make it possible.

Dive safe,

Celia

[Cindy]

Congrats and thanks to all involved! Great job and a win indeed! Keep up the good work. More springs and recharge areas are out there are in need of protection. Springs protection is on the radar at the National and State of Florida level right now, we all need to keep pushing to protect our water and caves. This is one place all of the waring factions in Cave Diving have been able to join together for the benifit for everyone! I hear some good work is going on in Silver Springs and other areas. We have their ears, lets shout together for purchase of more lands before it's too late, Cindy Butler

[Kelly Jessop]

This is great news. I know a lot of hard work was done behind the scenes,and glad to see it come to fruition.

[Signal 20]

This is great! Is there a map available to show the new land? What are the names of the windows on the property? Are they drivable?

Mark

there is nothing out there...just woods, and i hear if you even try to look the boogie man will get you

[Tegg]

If your tanks are banded together, there is nothing to dive there...

[Puttzer]

This sounds great but.......... how does this really effect the springs? Will there be any changes in the park?


Richard
Tallahassee

[jeandiver]

Awesome ... !!!
Just darn right , fer sure , Awesome !!!

Da Beano

A "Friends of Peacock Springs State Park" !!!

[Kelly Jessop]

This sounds great but.......... how does this really effect the springs? Will there be any changes in the park?


Richard
Tallahassee

If you notice as you drive down the road all the land has for sale signs,which it is targeted for development. The concern was that a section of land that has some karst windows which is hydrologically connected to Peacock would face development. More septics tanks etc could have a negative impact on the water quality at Peacock. I recall a time that Peacock used to have a bright blue cast to the water,now it has become dingy,more development directly over the recharge area could continue to degrade the water quality.
Will there be any changes-probably not. This land was purchased as a buffer not as a recreational zone.