POW Meeting Yesterday

[GDI]

It is sad day when I have to read a post by an uninformed individual about the politics of two worth while organizations such as SOS and POW and knowing little or nothing about those organizations.

Wayne, Thank you for your writing. First of all I am not offended by what you say. I know POW and SOS are worth while organizations. Uniformed as to who they are NO but out of date YES. I have not lived in Canada since 1997 and have not participated in any SOS or POW meetings since 1995,(Primarily POW in Kingston)

To give you some insite both POW and SOS have the same agendas and that is to preserve wrecks.

I believe my original post commented that their agendas were different but the intent was the same to preserve the wrecks "Agenda" may not have been a good word here. The politics of the organizations at the time of my experience did not have the two organizations working well together for the same cause to preserve the wrecks IMO
Please educate us all on the current working relationships between the two organizations and the federal and provincial governments. We (I) am not against you on these efforts I am in fact supportive or wanting to be so regardless of POW or SOS

SOS's and it's chapters cover most of the province of Ontario, where as POW's intrests is only in the Kingston and Point Traverse area. SOS receives funding or did receive funding from the province along with other grant monies that they apply for. POW on the other hand has been supported by local business and grants that it applied for, since it's inception in 1981 by the way the same year as the formation of SOS.

territorial, geographical

POW is supported by the good people in the dive industry Kingston dive stores, charter operators, members from all over the province and yes including members from upper New York State as well as from visiting divers to the area.
Just recently(2002/2003) SOS received a grant from a foundation to purchase a large number of buoys (50 private buoys) to mark the different wrecks throught the province and thankfully, included POW supplying us with 8 of the buoys. Since then we co-operativly purchased 30 more buoys to expand our mooring projects. We are co-operating in an addopt a wreck program which by the way was started by SOS which we in POW have also adopted.(why re-invent the wheel)

Yes they both have (POW & SOS) good people, dedicated to the cause. I was not aware of members from Upper New York State. Are they Few in numbers? Are they very active?

As to the addition of a $2.00 fee by the charter operators I think this is an added responsibility for the operators which they do not need to have, instead and I know this for a fact that most business involved in the dive industry in Kingston have POW donation boxes why not drop off a donation there yourself or send one to
Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston Inc.
c/o Marine Museum of the Grate Lakes at Kingston
55 Ontario Street
Kingston, Ontario. K7L 2Y2

the address: Great those wishing to help may now do so and know where they can send their support.
The attitude that the public would not buy into this is apparent in your statement. I have many times donated money into these drop off boxes, Loose change from many people can go a long way. I only suggests the idea as a means of constant funding flow of cash. transparent to the user. Not wanting to compare places, but this is no different then the token required for diving in Tobermory or even on the wrecks of the Florida Keys.

Please before you print misinformation kindly verify your information
Wayne
President
Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston Inc.

Wayne, thank you again for your writing and response. Just know that I although not living in Ontario any longer am very interested in the preservation of the wrecks

 

[GDI]

For those interested in learning more about wreck preservation in Ontario you can go to the following web sites:

Save Ontario Ship Wrecks:
http://www.saveontarioshipwrecks.on.ca

and

Preserve Our Wrecks Kingston:

http://www.gtcs.org/pow.html

 

[FreeFloat]

Actually, there is a new and updated POW website at www.powkingston.com.

FreeFloat, POW newsletter editor

 

[GDI]

Thanks

 

[Mr Adams]

These days, something strange is happening. Technology is making those Little underwater robots that roam the deep, plucking pieces-of-eight from Spanish galleons; deep diving submersibles that ferry tourists to the North Atlantic to view the ghostly remains of Titanic; mixed-gas scuba gear that lets divers glimpse bones in German U-boats at depths unheard of a couple of decades ago.

Titanic. Lusitania. Andrea Doria. Britannic. In recent years divers have explored them all and more, hauling up all sorts of booty.The discoveries bringing lawsuits and questions: Who are the rightful owners of tile wrecks and their belongings: descendants, the state,province or salvors? And a trickier question. Who has the power to decide, particularly when a wreck lies in international waters far from the jurisdiction of any one country? “It’s like the Wild West with a showdown at high noon and afterward everyone says ‘where was the sheriff?’” salvors, treasure hunters, sports divers, archaeologists, scientists, oceanographers and military all scrambling to stake their claim to the ocean floor. this is the quetion that needs to be answered befor you can begin to enforce protection of wrecks.

 

[Ontario Diver]

These days, something strange is happening. Technology is making those Little underwater robots that roam the deep, plucking pieces-of-eight from Spanish galleons; deep diving submersibles that ferry tourists to the North Atlantic to view the ghostly remains of Titanic; mixed-gas scuba gear that lets divers glimpse bones in German U-boats at depths unheard of a couple of decades ago.

Titanic. Lusitania. Andrea Doria. Britannic. In recent years divers have explored them all and more, hauling up all sorts of booty.The discoveries bringing lawsuits and questions: Who are the rightful owners of tile wrecks and their belongings: descendants, the state,province or salvors? And a trickier question. Who has the power to decide, particularly when a wreck lies in international waters far from the jurisdiction of any one country? “It’s like the Wild West with a showdown at high noon and afterward everyone says ‘where was the sheriff?’” salvors, treasure hunters, sports divers, archaeologists, scientists, oceanographers and military all scrambling to stake their claim to the ocean floor. this is the quetion that needs to be answered befor you can begin to enforce protection of wrecks.

It is called the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. It is specifically aimed at wrecks in international waters.

It took over 20 years to craft. It needs 20 countrys to ratify it and then it becomes accepted as international Maritime law. I don't know how many countries have ratified it. A Maritime Archeologist for Canada Robert B. was a driving force behind it.

 

[Groundhog246]

Titanic. Lusitania. Andrea Doria. Britannic. In recent years divers have explored them all and more, hauling up all sorts of booty.The discoveries bringing lawsuits and questions: Who are the rightful owners of tile wrecks and their belongings: descendants, the state,province or salvors? And a trickier question.

All true. But building a house starts with one nail, then one more nail. If we start with local groups like POW and SOS and preserving the wrecks close to home, particularly by teaching divers what's required. And if we can get them to join groups such as POW, then as many more voices are joined, we can start to make larger changes. It all starts with ONE, so look in the mirror and decide if the person looking back is that ONE or not. If you are not part of the solution, you are probably part of the problem. (cliche I know, but still as true as ever).