Help Save Mill Creek Sink!

The Florida cave diving community needs your help to save Mill Creek Sink, Alachua, FL from development. Here National Speleology Society-Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS) coordinator Bryan Buescher explains the situation and how you can help.

Please Email Alachua’s Mayor And City Commissioners. 

Sample Email:

Subj: Save Our Cave – Say No to Tara!

To:  [email protected], [email protected]

CC: [email protected]

Dear Mayor & Commissioners,

[Note: Please choose one or more of the following suggestions, and or write your own thoughts!]

In the coming months, you will be asked to consider approval of the Tara development projects near Mill Creek and Mill Creek Sink. We urge you to deny these proposals—or at a minimum, drastically reduce their density—to protect one of our region’s most sensitive and significant natural resources. The fragile karst landscape, which includes Mill Creek Sink, plays a critical role in the recharge and filtration of our groundwater. Allowing high-density development in this area risks irreversible harm to our water quality and the long-term health of our aquifer system. We ask you to prioritize environmental protection and responsible planning for the sake of current and future generations.

I am a [cave] diver. Please vote to protect the cave and its water.

Building over a cave system does not protect it. Vote to save Mill Creek Sink. Please vote to protect the cave and its water.

Please reject Tara’s plan to build over the cave at Mill Creek Sink. It’s not safe.

Planning to build over a cave makes no sense—Vote No on Tara and protect our water.

No sinkholes over our drink holes. Vote to save the cave at Mill Creek Sink and protect our water.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

DIVE DEEPER

Water’s Journey featuring Wes Skiles (2010)-Alachua County

Wes Skiles was an explorer, an award winning photographer and filmmaker, and a conservationist. He was also a resident of Alachua County when he wasn’t working on projects which took him around the world from the underwater caves of Alachua County to the icebergs of the Antarctic. Skiles died in a tragic diving accident in south Florida on July 21, 2010 while on assignment for National Geographic magazine. To honor his memory Alachua County brings you the following encore presentation of his award winning documentary” Water’s Journey”.

The Salad Bar scene at Sonny’s (w/ Wes Skiles, Jill Heinerth and Tom Morris) (2:24)

Thank you divers!