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LIVE OAK - The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Florida
State Parks hosted a special naming event today at Peacock Springs State Park in
Live Oak to honor the late world-class explorer, diver, cinematographer and
photographer Wes Skiles. The park will now be known as Wes Skiles Peacock
Springs State Park.
“Wes Skiles’ passion for Florida’s environment was evident in his dedication
to portraying the wonders of Florida through his masterful imagery,” said DEP
Secretary Mimi A. Drew. “Knowing Wes as I did, I’m sure he would be thrilled to
have one of his favorite places named after him where it will be a reminder of
his lasting contribution to Florida’s environment.”
During today’s event, more than 50 friends, family members and other guests
witnessed the unveiling of a new park sign by the Skiles family designating the
park after his namesake. Speakers included DEP Secretary Mimi A. Drew, former
coordinator of the Florida Springs Taskforce Jim Stevenson and Wes Skiles’
brother Jim Skiles. The event was a touching occasion as Skiles’ commitment to
Florida’s environment, passion for Florida’s imagery and love of state parks
were recounted.
“We are honored to leave a legacy for Mr. Skiles in the state park system”,
said Florida State Parks Director Donald Forgione. “There is no better place to
do so than at Peacock Springs, where the avid diver, cave explorer and springs
advocate contributed so much of his time and expertise.”
Skiles passed away earlier this year while on a diving assignment off the
east coast of Florida. He was a great proponent of the protection and
preservation of Florida’s water resources, particularly springs and nature-based
recreation.
“The Skiles family is greatly honored knowing that Wes’s relentless work in
creating awareness of our springs will be remembered by future generations. Wes
understood that the abundance of fresh, clean water was critical to a healthy
community, environment and economy,” said Jim Skiles. “His love of photography
and cave diving became his passion when he realized Florida Springs and her
aquifer were our most important resource. Wes referred to Peacock as the heart
of cave diving with its many passages. Today, the Skiles family and friends
celebrate that the heart and soul of cave diving will be remembered in Florida
history.”
The Peacock Springs cave system represents one of the most extensively
mapped cave systems in the continental United States and one of the longest in
Florida. Skiles’ company, Karst Environmental Services, spent hours documenting
the cave systems at Peacock Springs. One notable achievement was Skiles’
discovery that Bonnet Spring has the only entrance to a separate cave system
that may be hydrologically linked to the Peacock system via smaller conduits.
Skiles also made major contributions to the understanding and awareness of the
Floridan aquifer and its impact for springs and water resources in the state.
"Wes did more to educate Floridians about the plight of Florida's springs
than anyone else,” said Jim Stevenson. “His legacy is his outstanding films,
beginning with Polluting the Fountain of Youth in 1998 that has been aired often
on PBS and Waters Journey: Hidden Rivers that was produced in 2003 at the
request of the Florida Springs Task Force."
About Florida State Parks
Created in 1935 by the Florida Legislature, the
Florida State Park system has grown from eight to 160 parks in the last 75
years. Today, the Florida Park Service manages more than 700,000 acres of
Florida’s natural environment, including 100 miles of beaches, eight National
Historic Landmarks and 39 sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
Florida State Parks has been recognized by the National Recreation and Park
Association as the nation’s first and only two-time Gold Medal winner for the
nation’s best park service. For more information about Florida’s state parks,
visit www.FloridaStateParks.org.
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2012 State of Florida