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To those concerned about government control of shipwrecks: On the question of whether "government bureaucrats" should be "meddling" = with shipwrecks, I would like to offer a personal response, based on = thirty years of involvement and observation of such matters. (This is my = personal opinion and does not necessarily represent that of my employer.) = It seems to me that if **someone** doesn't protect significant = resources, including historic shipwrecks, they will soon be gone. = Shipwrecks should be no different than other resources that the = government protects and regulates. For instance, without National Parks, = Monuments, Seashores Wildlife Refuges and Forests, how many really = significant natural and historic sites would have been destroyed long = ago? How many pristine landscapes and beachfronts would have been = over-developed and polluted? Without our National Marine Sanctuaries, = how many ocean reefs and habitats would have been polluted, damaged or = destroyed? Someone has to serve as the steward for future generations, = and as far as I can determine, only the government can effectively do so. = That's the main reason I was willing to leave the private sector and = become a "bureaucrat." Please, don't just condemn all government resource management programs (n= atural and cultural)--instead, try working with us to improve them. All = of our Federal management programs have public review and comment cycles = associated with them, as does the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of = Underwater Cultural Heritage, that is currently being debated in the = international arena. (Which, by the way, won't eliminate all wreck = diving on the planet, as some would have you believe!). Through **participation** in the process of government resource = management, you can help save important resources for the future while, = at the same time, protect your own rights of access to and enjoyment of = those resources. You can do that by (1) getting all the facts (not = through rantings and flaming on maillists!), (2) making up your own mind = about the pros/cons of what's being proposed, (3) finding out what = organizations are involved, and (4) making your thoughts and wishes = known. If I can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me at the = address below if you would like additional information about the Monitor, = NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program, the UNESCO Convention, or = cultural resource management in general. Regards, John Broadwater =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D John D. Broadwater, Manager MONITOR National Marine Sanctuary The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606-3759 757-599-3122 (fax 591-7353) jbroadwater@oc*.no*.no*.go* http://www.nos.noaa.gov/nmsp/monitor/ =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send subscribe/unsubscribe requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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