bogrady:
:doctor: I’m continually amused and annoyed by the Aquarena argument that seems to pop up here very few months. It always comes down to those who have not taken the time to understand the program complaining about it and those who have taken the time to understand the program defending it.
It’s quite simple – Spring Lake is not a Scuba Park, it’s not an amusement park, its not Lake Travis. It is first and foremost a State and Federally protected environmental and antiquities area. Everything else is secondary to the job of protecting and preserving the archeology and endangered species.
The fact that it used to be something else is irrelevant to the current mission of using the site to educate the public about the archeology and endangered species, and on top of that, the nature of the Edwards Aquifer system.. :no
:shakehead I wasn't complaining about the Scuba Program, the Gift Shop, the Boats, the hotel, or the wetland walk. I'm not even complaining about the program as a whole that wants to protect endangered species or archeological sites. Indeed those are things the current managment of the park is doing right.
I was complaining that the environmentalists who badgered a private owner into giving up and signing over such a special place to the state which seems to have a track record of mismanagment. I was complaining about the job the state has done keeping up with it. Are the decaying rides any less of a threat to endangered species?
It would have been better for the state to improve the balance between entertainment at the park and education about the environment. In addition to restoring the boats and maintaining a SCUBA program, I suggest they could have gone farther by acknowledging the benefits of restoring or developing the rest of the park.
With more attractions they could increase the number of people who come to learn about the environment and raise more money to support that cause. There is no reason the park's theme could not be the environment. More attractions mean more visitors which could translate into more donations.
If they don't have enough money to get started (Texas State University who just paid how much to change their name?), they could invite private companies to make tax deductible contributions and possibly offer them a stake in the restoration. Anything to make the park productive again.
bogrady:
:doctor: The run down condition of the park is due to the fact that ALL the money goes back into protecting the archeology and endangered species, and building the public infrastructure to support the education mission. Take the time to look around and ask some questions:
The rides and sub are rusting, but the boats and the wetland walk are in great shape.
The gift shop is run down, but have you seen the plans for the new visitor center at the headwaters? Why would you invest in the old building when they are saving to build the new one?
The dive area – the old show area - is run down. But why would they fix it when they just raised $60,000 to knock it down and replace it with a whole new dive facility? :no
:shakehead I was there last weekend and no one was on the wetland walk but me. General Burleson's home is a pile of ashes and charred timber. Does anyone visit the other side of the lake? There were also only enough visitors for one boat every few hours. We had to leave the park to find someplace to eat for lunch. Little else has been touched whether for good or bad. There's a cottage that is still under construction (no visible signs of construction but that's what the sign says).
Plans for new buildings? Only $60,000 raised? After 15 years? That's supposed to show that I don't understand? Some people pay off their $100,000 houses in that amount of time. How many new attractions have opened in Texas in that time? How long has the changing area been halfway demolished, with plastic sheets hanging up? Even the LCRA Plant in New Braunfels has been refurbished into elegant living spaces and that was a much bigger Asbestos challenge. How many new restaurants have been opened in that much time? Just the restoration of the restaurant alone could bring in a vibrant source of funds and visitors.
What if the sub was restored or replaced? It could be turned into quite an attraction. People would buy tickets to watch the Divers train and the indigenous wildlife swim by. It would also offer a very unique place in Texas if not the US where SCUBA skills could be evaluated and enhanced from an airconditioned room with an unlimited amount of air and no danger of decompression. That act alone would help protect reefs and wildlife accross the globe.
If the Space needle was still operating people would see it from IH35 and come from all over the state to be lifted over the gateway to the hill country. This would bring in more money for the park, as well as preserving a piece of important Texas history.
bogrady:
:doctor: As for diving in the lake – Diving in the lake is prohibited by State and Federal law. That’s a fact. What is permitted is the activity required to keep the lake and the springs clean and clear – again –t o support the education and protection mission. Diving just happens to be the skill required to maintain the springs. They make it very clear at the training – we are not volunteering to dive – we are volunteering to maintain the springs, and we happen to need to dive to do that.
As for the $220.00 – get real people – most of us drop that in a heartbeat on a new piece of fancy gear. At least some of us have dropped it on a worthy cease – not diving – but getting the education and certification required to be allowed to enter and work in an environment protected by the State Antiquities Act and the Federal Endangered Species Act. The fact that it’s underwater is just a bonus.
If you think Aquarena is being unreasonable, I suggest the next time you’re in a National Park, you try climbing a tree and messing around with a Bald Eagle Nest – I’m sure the park rangers will exhibit the same sense of protection that the Aquarena folks do. :no
:shakehead The last time I saw a Bald eagle was at Lake Bastrop just a few yards from a power plant. Where access isn't limited to people who've paid a one time fee of $220 for the privilege of swiming to one of five spots and shooing algea away. Or people who pay $25 per person a day to finish off their $200 Open Water dive course. Admission to each of the two LCRA parks is maybe $10. There is no requirement or understanding that the only reason they are allowed in is to clean or maintain the park.
It's a man made lake that hosts a Scout park where young boys are taught to respect the environment. Where does the money come from? LCRA and Austin Energy own the plant, LCRA set up and maintains the parks, BSA is a private organization supported by it's membership, and the rest is privately owned. LCRA isn't supported by tax dollars and Ausin Energy is an Investor Owned Municipality.
You're right bogrady I haven't given enough time to people who want to talk me into thinking Aquarina Springs is better off now than it was when I was a kid. I remember those days and I miss them. Walking past those rusty reminders only makes it worse. But I don't think the State is completely beyond hope.
It's not that Aquarina is being unreasonable; it's that they haven't served the people of Texas, the Environment, or Endangered species as well as they could have. Are they above reproach? Am I not supposed to criticize them for some reason? Are they going to pull my Scientific Diver Cert now? Just because of my opinion? I think they can handle it and if they consider my opinion as well as other opinions that I know have been leveled at them it might just finally get through.
If they will just reject the opinion of people who treat the amusement park idea as a capitolistic abomination (hypocritically given their unwillingness to sweep away the left over rides) and instead look for some balance we as Divers and members of this state will all be better off.
