Morrison Springs is Dead

[ShagMan]

Man, I take a 3-4 month break during the winter, and look what happens!!!

Time to dust off the rubber boat and make some additional trips to Cypress!

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Josh! Whats happenin brotha!? Welcome back!

 

[ShagMan]

When the cold weather got here, the only place warm enough to dive was the springs I had already got a little burned out on, so I have been taking a break...

but I'm feeling shriveled up and dried out, I need some fresh spring water to thaw me out... I can't WAIT for the spring!!!

Mat, I see you have been uber-busy with Cave adventures, looking good!

I have had an insane desire to get back up to Cypress... I would like to try the other spring, I really think it had some merit if the water level was bottomed out like we saw last time...

Found any good boat-accessable springs for a weenie OW/ADV diver like me?

Hell, I'd like to even go back to the springhead we went to where we talked to the equestrians, I'm that desperate!!!

Ft. Pickens as soon as the water hits about 65-68!!!!

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I have had an insane desire to get back up to Cypress... I would like to try the other spring, I really think it had some merit if the water level was bottomed out like we saw last time...

You talking about the spring downstream from Cypress? Becton(Magnolia)? Its a fun little OW spring to knock out the bottom of a tank at, but the water levels are back up(alot) and Becton will be flooded. Cypress will still be clear and the water will be high enough to run the boats to without any problems at all.

Found any good boat-accessable springs for a weenie OW/ADV diver like me?

Hell, I'd like to even go back to the springhead we went to where we talked to the equestrians, I'm that desperate!!!

I went back to the spring where we talked to the equestrians(Ebro Blue Spring) and dived the cave with cmufieldhockey08. It was awesome. We also dived another spring in that area that had a really really nice cavern - albeit not an OW friendly cavern(continual and intense percolation made it a bit advanced as well as lots of fragile formations). Get a real cavern class under your belt and it'd be a great spot to hit that nobody else visits.

I haven't hit anything else in my boat as far as spring exploration goes. I have gone to a few new sinkholes in the Tallahassee/Wakulla area, but they aren't boat accessible.

I've been kinda itching to get back to exploring out of the Miss Jellyfish.

Waterlevels are uber high right now, so its a bit more difficult to find things than the majority of last years drought conditions.

 

[GLENFWB]

Actually, if I am not mistaken...the state sold it to the county. The state didn't want the spring. I don't think the county has the desire to implement fees....because then they have to man the spring with personnel etc. As much as I want to see Morrison stay "unspoiled", I am content to reserve judgment until we see how things turn out....I mean maybe, just maybe some politicians will finally get something right!

Okay, that even made me laugh after I wrote it.

Look at the facts SBers. Morrison is way to special of a place to remain that little out of the way dive spot where a hidden spring offers scuba dives free diving, unrestriced access and just a good place to have some fun. Too bad, but thats just not possible. Today its all about big $$$ and tourism in FLA. Just look at Panama City Beach Development; now there is some real quality planning that gone way out of control, what a mess! And then there is St. Joe Company building that major airport near PC, so the panhandle will soon become "discovered". Morrison is going to be a "state owned park" or should I say another tourist attraction? All we can hope is that scuba divers will be able to continue to dive the spring including its ballroom. Those of us who have had the opportunity to dive there in its natural condition are fortunate and really lucky. By the way can McDonalds and Holiday Inn be located on that road?

 

[mike_s]

Actually, if I am not mistaken...the state sold it to the county. The state didn't want the spring. I don't think the county has the desire to implement fees....because then they have to man the spring with personnel etc. As much as I want to see Morrison stay "unspoiled", I am content to reserve judgment until we see how things turn out....I mean maybe, just maybe some politicians will finally get something right!

Okay, that even made me laugh after I wrote it.

The state didn't sell it... it's leased.

It was purchased from being a private/commercial owned property by the State of Florida and then leased to Walton County for use as a park

from Walton County, Florida Online

The Morrison Springs property was acquired from private owners by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2004. The Walton County Board of Commissioners entered into a lease agreement with Environmental Protection later that year to manage the site.​

 

[GLENFWB]

Okay Leased, I just knew it went from private, to the state, and now to the county.

The state didn't sell it... it's leased.

It was purchased from being a private/commercial owned property by the State of Florida and then leased to Walton County for use as a park

from Walton County, Florida Online

The Morrison Springs property was acquired from private owners by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2004. The Walton County Board of Commissioners entered into a lease agreement with Environmental Protection later that year to manage the site.​

 

[Tom Smedley]

It all has to do with wetlands. If the state is to give up wetlands for development they have to trade that tract with another. In Ponce de Leon the wetlands may be worth a thousand dollars an acre. So ... if the state can acquire 500 acres of wetlands in the upper panhandle that is worth a thousand dollars an acre (maybe) they can trade it for 500 acres of prime coastal wetlands that is worth a thousand dollars a square foot. So we have graciously bought from private ownership a couple or three hundred acres in Ponce de Leon and it is genuine wetland - we can preserve it and let it flourish. Then we can allow our buds who are developers to rape and scavage a couple or three hundred acres of prime wetlands on the coast and build some condos.

BUT - we don't want to have to manage the sucky wetlands in Ponce de Leon (off in the middle of nowhere) so we can give it to the county to manage. However, the county doesn't want it either. UNTIL we give them a half-mil to juice up one of their contractor friends who will "improve" it at a cost of a half-mil. So the pork has been scraped and the money transferred to Bubba who builds things and by the way is my friend who will give me a favor or a kickback. AND we improve a couple of three hundred acres of wetland that didn't need improving but Bubba and me now have a half-mil that we didn't have before.

AND - our buddy Charlie who is also a builder of stuff takes the couple of three hundred acres of beach front wetlands and fills them in and builds condos who some fool from up north promises to pay 500 thousand for but when they are completed and finished are worth only 300 thousand so the fool is either stuck with the difference or defaults but Charlie invites us over for barbecue and even throws in a massage for helping him out with some wetlands exchange.

Makes sense to me - doesn't it to you?? :-( Pork barrel polka - that's the game.....

 

[Rick Murchison]

It all has to do with wetlands.

Well, yeah, as a vehicle... you alluded to the real purpose; it really all has to do with transfering money from our pockets to the politicos' pockets. And marketing it so the public feels good while getting screwed.
Rick

 

[Fish Food]

I got some pictures of Morrison of Saturday. Here's a couple of the good ones. The boardwalk has started. Some palettes of grass were also brought in. THe smart folks didn't take into account the rising waters and left it too close to the water Grass aint cheap.