Attention Alabama Divers

[Rick Murchison]

The Alabama Historical Commission is holding hearings on Thursday 10 November in Selma on proposed rule changes that could adversely affect your ability to dive Alabama waters, and especially to pick up stuff you find. (proposal attached) If you can be there it would be a good idea - the rule as proposed could have your car, boat and dive gear impounded and sold if you pick up a 1942 Coca Cola bottle!
We need to bite this one in the tail before it ever gets off the ground.
Rick

 

[Flodiver]

Thanks Rick for posting that here. This is a very important issue that must be addressed and could effect all of us that dive in Alabama waters.
For those that don't know, Steve Phillips of Southern Skin Divers Supply and Perry Massie of the Outdoor Chanel were arrested and had all items confiscated in 2003 for diving in Selma,Al.
To read more about you can go here - www.ssdsupply.com/current_events.htm

Shaun

 

[Tom Smedley]

I agree with Rick - If at all possible we need every diver that we can muster to attend the meeting in Selma next Thursday. This is one that we can't sit quietly and ignore. The Alabama Historical Commission is notoriously corrupt - to prove it their recent audit came up millions short. They are just too lazy to adopt a controlled Hobby License program like South Carolina. Be there with your dive logo tee shirts on and show them that we not only care - we vote. By the way the AHC lists their hours from 8 to 4 M-F but they are not answering their phone or returning messages. That shows me that they care only for themselves.

 

[Tom Smedley]

In addition - the AHC only wants to grant permits to "Qualified Archaeogists" They even have a list of those qualified Archeologists on their web site. Along with this disclaimer in capital letters for the folks that we must trust with our artifacts.

"THIS LIST IS ONLY FOR GENERAL INFORMATION. THE ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OF THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICE TO BE PERFORMED BY ANY INDIVIDUAL ON THIS LIST. ALL INFORMATION ON THIS LIST WAS PROVIDED BY THESE INDIVIDUALS AND HAS NOT BEEN VERIFIED BY THE ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION."

You be the judge.....

Then there is the state employee who is in charge of designating historical sites in Mobile Bay. Montgomery Advertiser Reporter, "Just where are the sites that you have designated as historical?" State employee, "There are none as of yet."

Dang brother, I don't believe I would have told that.

 

[rdharbis1]

I cannot get off to attend the hearings but would like to 'voice' my concerns by other means. Any other known avenues to let these people know there are many who oppose this proposition? A petition maybe to be presented by someone who can attend?
Randy

 

[Rick Murchison]

I cannot get off to attend the hearings but would like to 'voice' my concerns by other means. Any other known avenues to let these people know there are many who oppose this proposition? A petition maybe to be presented by someone who can attend?
Randy

Written responses to the proposed rule change will be accepted until December 9th. (see the attachments to the first post for the details) I believe you should make two key points (in addition to any others you want to make):
(1) The law the rule is supposed to implement has a goal of preserving artifacts for the people of Alabama; the rule as written would be a miserable failure and would only insure that underwater artifacts in Alabama would just rot away unrecovered or, because of the criminalization of artifact recovery, would drive recovered objects underground, never to be seen by the people.
(2) The rule is a gross abuse of power in its allowance of the confiscation of property without due process.
I think it will also be helpful to cite South Carolina's model as "the way to go."
Please do write in about it.
Rick

 

[2Tours N Iraq`]

My brother, Firebrand, is stationed at Red Stone Aresnal up in Huntsville, I passed on the link to this thread to him. Hopefully he'll be able to help out in some form or fashion.

 

[tstonedvr]

Could someone here with the skills type up a letter we could copy and pass around to every diver we know to send in.....not really a petition but like a individual one...these weasels have to be stopped....
Yarg

 

[rdharbis1]

tstonedvr:
Great idea. I have been trying to formulate one that makes sense but I have much trouble understanding the pdf Rick posted. Writing a rebuttal that someone would listen to, read is more appropriate, would probably not be on my resume. Hope someone responds.
But if they do not, we do need to send whatever we can come up with - and in time to be considered.
Randy

 

[Tom Smedley]

Our resident Barrister is meeting with us and that is one of the topics to make a form letter that folks can personalize and send to all the folks on the list. I have the list of folks on the board but left it at work. Am on my way to Vortex for the weekend but will post it to the list first thing Monday.