Post by L Roebuck on Jul 3, 2006 7:16:13 GMT -5
Demand state laws to protect cave systems
Very few people willingly embrace change that is suggested by somebody else. Human nature causes most of us to enjoy the way we do things.
In the Crescent Communities of Alachua, Newberry, High Springs and Fort White, the talk of change is a regular occurrence. And as we’ve seen, simply the talk of change can bring out strong emotions from people on both sides of the issue.
But those who have successfully pushed for change will tell you that change generally does not happen overnight. Any change of significance generally does not happen at a single city commission meeting or at a single school board meeting.
Sometimes, the push for change takes years. Take a look at the move for Civil Rights in the United States. That movement took decades of ongoing peaceful protest.
You can even look locally at the move to protect sinkholes. As late as the early 1990s, people were still dumping construction waste in sinkholes and there were even cities that were dumping trash down such sinkholes.
Nowadays, most residents know that doing such a thing to a sinkhole is illegal, and if somebody does something like to the environment, people are on the phone, calling the authorities.
Now the same thing must happen with the move to protect the area’s underground water system and associated cave system. At a recent meeting of the Suwannee River Water Management District, residents learned that there are no state laws that protect underground cave systems.
Want to build a large development over a large cave system with water flowing underneath? There’s nothing stopping you.
Now is the time to begin pushing local city commissioners, county commissioners and governing board members of the Suwannee River Water Management District to begin considering new laws to protect cave systems and underwater river flow.
It’s true that many of the local elected officials can’t necessarily pass laws themselves but they can lobby regional and state authorities to do that. In fact, the Alachua County Commission already has started down that road with its recent environmental requirements of the proposed Alachua Wal-Mart — requirements above and beyond what state law calls for.
But the pressure must be applied now on many levels of government.
In the case of Wal-Mart, why did the water district allow such a large structure on that site without special rules in place for the underwater cave system? Why did the county have to step in?
If you listen to local officials, they’ll tell you that they’re allowing it to happen because there are no state laws forbidding it.
That may be so. But that doesn’t make it right. Residents and elected officials alike need to begin lobbying state officials to work with environmental experts to write laws that protect underground caves and the associated water systems.
In Alachua at the proposed Wal-Mart site on U.S. 441 at Interstate 75, the underground water moves so fast that it shows up in High Springs less than two weeks later, feeding Hornsby Spring. If for some reason allowing Wal-Mart to develop at the Alachua site causes the water to be diverted and Hornsby Spring dries up, that may be a problem that cannot be fixed.
So now is the time to speak to local officials and tell them you’re not happy. If they tell you there are no state laws protecting the underground cave and water systems, tell them that excuse is no longer valid.
Demand that they fight to get new laws written. Ask them to work with any developments — such as Wal-Mart — so that they can self-police and agree to far stringent requirements. And perhaps city officials should be asking Wal-Mart why they want to build in such a sensitive spot in the first place.
But continue to apply pressure. Don’t stop talking about the matter simply because a controversial issue is not in the news. Keep reminding your elected officials in person. Continue to ask questions at public meetings.
Change will happen. It won’t happen overnight or even in a few months. The change could take years. But the push must start now.
www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2006/07/02/editorial/editorial062906.txt
Very few people willingly embrace change that is suggested by somebody else. Human nature causes most of us to enjoy the way we do things.
In the Crescent Communities of Alachua, Newberry, High Springs and Fort White, the talk of change is a regular occurrence. And as we’ve seen, simply the talk of change can bring out strong emotions from people on both sides of the issue.
But those who have successfully pushed for change will tell you that change generally does not happen overnight. Any change of significance generally does not happen at a single city commission meeting or at a single school board meeting.
Sometimes, the push for change takes years. Take a look at the move for Civil Rights in the United States. That movement took decades of ongoing peaceful protest.
You can even look locally at the move to protect sinkholes. As late as the early 1990s, people were still dumping construction waste in sinkholes and there were even cities that were dumping trash down such sinkholes.
Nowadays, most residents know that doing such a thing to a sinkhole is illegal, and if somebody does something like to the environment, people are on the phone, calling the authorities.
Now the same thing must happen with the move to protect the area’s underground water system and associated cave system. At a recent meeting of the Suwannee River Water Management District, residents learned that there are no state laws that protect underground cave systems.
Want to build a large development over a large cave system with water flowing underneath? There’s nothing stopping you.
Now is the time to begin pushing local city commissioners, county commissioners and governing board members of the Suwannee River Water Management District to begin considering new laws to protect cave systems and underwater river flow.
It’s true that many of the local elected officials can’t necessarily pass laws themselves but they can lobby regional and state authorities to do that. In fact, the Alachua County Commission already has started down that road with its recent environmental requirements of the proposed Alachua Wal-Mart — requirements above and beyond what state law calls for.
But the pressure must be applied now on many levels of government.
In the case of Wal-Mart, why did the water district allow such a large structure on that site without special rules in place for the underwater cave system? Why did the county have to step in?
If you listen to local officials, they’ll tell you that they’re allowing it to happen because there are no state laws forbidding it.
That may be so. But that doesn’t make it right. Residents and elected officials alike need to begin lobbying state officials to work with environmental experts to write laws that protect underground caves and the associated water systems.
In Alachua at the proposed Wal-Mart site on U.S. 441 at Interstate 75, the underground water moves so fast that it shows up in High Springs less than two weeks later, feeding Hornsby Spring. If for some reason allowing Wal-Mart to develop at the Alachua site causes the water to be diverted and Hornsby Spring dries up, that may be a problem that cannot be fixed.
So now is the time to speak to local officials and tell them you’re not happy. If they tell you there are no state laws protecting the underground cave and water systems, tell them that excuse is no longer valid.
Demand that they fight to get new laws written. Ask them to work with any developments — such as Wal-Mart — so that they can self-police and agree to far stringent requirements. And perhaps city officials should be asking Wal-Mart why they want to build in such a sensitive spot in the first place.
But continue to apply pressure. Don’t stop talking about the matter simply because a controversial issue is not in the news. Keep reminding your elected officials in person. Continue to ask questions at public meetings.
Change will happen. It won’t happen overnight or even in a few months. The change could take years. But the push must start now.
www.highspringsherald.com/articles/2006/07/02/editorial/editorial062906.txt