Cave Conservationist
The Newsletter of Cave Conservation and
Management
Published
by the
Table
of Contents | Hawaii
Natural Area Reserve System | Nature
Conservancy Cave Protection | Bat
Protection | Mushroom
Cave | Sustainable
Development | Colossal
Cave | BLM
FRCPA Regulations | New
Mexico BLM Issue # 2 | Rock
Art in Portugal Threatened
The Cave Conservationist is the
official publication of the Conservation and Management Section of the National
Speleological Society. Distribution is free to members of the Section. Section
membership costs $5 annually and should be mailed to the Secretary. (A
membership form for your convenience is included on page 23.) Additional
complimentary copies are distributed on a temporary basis at the discretion of
the Section to
SUBMISSIONS: Articles and other Cave
Conservationist correspondence should be sent to the Editor. Submissions on
computer disks should be made with 3.5"
Copyright 1995
Printed by members of
the D.C. Grotto and the Potomac Speleological Society.
·
Cover
illustration is by an unknown photographer, from the Internet. Rock Engravings
to be inundated by the Foz-Coa Dam in
·
Visit our
World Wide Web site on the Internet at http://www.halcyon.com/samara/nssccms/.
- Notes
from the President
- CONSIDERATIONS
OF PUHIA PELE FOR INCLUSION IN THE
- CHICKEN
SHIT
- CARLSBAD
LUNCHROOM DEBATE
- REPORTING
SIGNIFICANT CAVES
- WHY
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY PROTECTS CAVES
- BAT
TASK FORCE IN MISSOURI
- CAVE
FISH STORY
- WESTERN
REGION GRANT
- REPORT
ON MISSOURI CAVE & KARST CONSERVANCY
- SCHOFER
PLAN REVIEWED
- PROBLEMS
AHEAD FOR ENVIRONMENT IN
- BATS
THRIVE ON GRANDFATHER
- BAT
FRIENDLY BRIDGE DESIGNS IN TEXAS
- BAT
PROTECTION IN EUROPE
- BAT
CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP
- BUMPER
STICKERS TO PAY FOR CAVING
- NATIONAL
CAVE MANAGEMENT SYMPOSIUM XII
- RESTORING
DERRICK CAVE, OREGON
- NEW
RULES TO PROTECT DERRICK CAVE IN OREGON
- DEEPEST
LITTER BIN IN IRELAND
- MUSHROOM
CAVE, CATALYST OF CONCERN
- SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT: THE
- MAKE
YOUR TRIP COUNT
- COLOSSAL
CAVE REVISITED
- BLM
FRCPA REGULATIONS FOR
- NEW
BLM ISSUE IN NEW MEXICO
- LATE
BREAKING SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENTS WITH
- URGENT
ACTION NEEDED: PORTUGUESE
- Caving
in Campwood
- Swiss
Caver's Honor Code
- Membership
Form
New
Fred Wefer (
This position is the most important
When the late Vic Schmidt decided in 1970
that he probably ought to retire from the post and pay some attention to his
job and family, he looked for a successor before he stepped down. I happened to
be involved in one of the few active conservation projects at the time:
preparing a proposal for a wilderness area in the Guadalupe Escarpment of New
Mexico and
I finally burned out and found a
replacement in the person of Nick Noe, who had been
one of my active volunteers. Nick had some time on his hands, also, but eventually
had to find a real job, and so he lasted only one year. Several other
Conservation Chairs over the years have included Tom Strong, Beth Estes, Jerry
Thornton, Janet Thorne, and recently Al Krause.
Chairing the
At this time, having an active
Many
So if you are believe that caves need
protection, have some organizational skills, some time on your hands, and want
to make a contribution to society, caves, and to the
-in case you are
wondering why the Chairman's Column has suddenly become the President's
Column-I read the bylaws, dug out by Evelyn for another reason, and realized we
have been mis-titling all our officers for several
years. So I have fixed the problem with a stroke of the "editorial"
pen (or in this case keyboard). Henceforth . . . .
Rob Stitt,
President
CONSIDERATIONS
OF PUHIA PELE FOR INCLUSION IN THE
William R. Halliday
Report
#9502
of the
National
Speleological Society
March 1995
INTRODUCTION
Puhia Pele is a
small but extraordinary volcanic complex on the northwest rift of Hualalai volcano, about 0.8 km (~ mile) makai
highway 190. It is the vent of the shortlived 1801
unit of the Kaupulehu lava flows, and thus it was the
site of the most recent Hualalai eruption. Despite
its small size it is a remarkable representativeinminiature
of unusual spleen and surface features characteristic of Hualalai
volcano but rarely if ever seen on other Hawaiian volcanoes. It would be an
easily accessible teaching lab where geologists, graduate students, and
elementary students alike would easily see for themselves many of the features
which distinguish Hualalai from other Hawaiian
volcanoes. This is especially evident regarding open vertical volcanic
conduits. Hualalai volcano is especially notable for
these phenomena, both in association with pit craters and as freestanding
features. Depth of the combined pit crateropen
conduit complex of Na One totals 263 m (862 feet). Depths of open vertical
shafts near the head of the Kaupulehu xenolith nodule beds are much less but their relationship
to the nodule beds is of exceptional scientific interest. At least one isolated
open vertical shaft in a hollow driblet cone has been found in the MalekuleLuamakame area of Hualalai;
the complex of shafts at Puhia Pele
is the second such example on the volcano. None of these is known elsewhere in
A speleological reconnaissance team first
investigated Puhia Pele on
This complex is in an area increasingly
subject to subdivision and other development. Ranch roads on both sides of the
complex currently are being improved. Yet its features are almost entirely
unmodified by man. A metal pole cemented into a cavity at its summit is the
only mark of man. Preservation of Puhia Pele for scientific study and education should receive an
exceptionally high priority.
PHYSICAL
DESCRIPTION
Puhia Pele is a
small volcanic complex about 40 m (125 feet) high. It is on the northwest rift
of Hualalai volcano. On the Kiholo
1:24,000 Quadrangle its summit elevation is shown as 1637 feet (499 m). A
smaller cone about 100 m mauka the summit cone was
not part of these investigations.
The summit is a hollow driblet cone or
spire with two open vertical volcanic conduits which join 2030 m below the
summit. They are 2 to 4 m in diameter, belling out downward. Little spatter is
present. The vertical opening on the SE side of the cone is about 5 m below the
summit. I descended partway to a ledge and found that it probably is a shorter
and less technical route to the chamber visible below. About 5 m below the
surface on the outer wall of this pit is the orifice of a smaller open vertical
conduit. Because of technical difficulties, I could see only a few meters of
this side shaft. Taken as a whole, this summit cone is similar to another
hollow driblet spire at an elevation of about 7600 feet on the rift, but is
more complex.
In contact with the northwest side of the
summit driblet cone is a pit crater about 20 m in width, moderately elongated
along the rift. At its mauka end, its walls are
almost as high as the summit cone but are comparatively rubbly
in composition. Its minimum depth is about 8 m at its northwest end. Here, rock
fall has piled up a small platform at the top of a steep slope leading downward
toward the chamber below the summit cone. Elsewhere it is much deeper. The
talus slope is interrupted by a partially circumferential lava shelf resulting
from pond drainage, forming a ledge around the south side of the Pit crater.
On like south wall of the pit crater,
just above this lava shelf, are the openings of two chambers. The more westerly
is entered through a steeply sloping hole about 1 m in diameter. It extends
downward 34 meters to the lower end of an irregularly pocketed chamber about 5
m long and up to 3 m wide and high. Except where coated with white secondary
encrustations, this chamber is entirely lined with featureless gray granular
slightly vesicular basalt. No lava tube features are present, and it appears to
be a small, undifferentiated magma chamber.
About 10 m farther south is the
horizontal opening of a much larger chamber, much more complex in features and
origin. It is perhaps 25 m long and up to 12 m wide. Rounded pockets are
present at different levels. One is somewhat tubular. It angles upward to
perhaps 10 m above the floor, extending in the general direction of the chamber
below the summit. Another blind chimney is present farther northwest. Lava
dripstone and spatter of different colors are dramatic. Some small lava shelves
are present but no features of lava tube caves. Secondary minerals also are
present.
Below the lava shelf, in the center of
the pit crater a spacious cavern angles steeply downward in the general
direction of the chamber below the summit. Its floor consists of loose rock
fragments. It is mostly about 5 m (15 feet) wide. Its slope length is 17~ m t58
feet); the slope angle is 34?. At its lower end is a
lava chimney about 8 m high, with extensive lava dripstone and secondary
mineral encrustations.
Near the bottom of this cavernous
passage, the floor consists of large pieces of basalt, many cm on a side. These
are wedged above a cavernous space a few m high. This space was not entered but
appeared to extend northwest beneath the rocky slope.
Makai the pit crater a lava trench extends
northwest for an undetermined distance. It was not examined in any detail; some
short segments of it appear to be roofed, forming natural bridges. About 50 m makai the lower rim of the pit crater is a natural bridge
of this type. Looking down from the south rim of the trench segment, a black
orifice about 1 m in diameter was observed at the lowest point of the trench
segment between the pit crater and the natural bridge. This suggests the
presence of an intact segment of lava tube cave at a lower level be neath the floor of the trench. It could not be entered
safely with equipment on hand.
This pattern of crateroutlet
lava trench and tube is seen in larger scale at Poikahe
and nearby craters on Hualalai volcano, and at some
sites on the Moon and on Mars.
Spreading out from the base of the summit
cone is a small flat of pahoehoe basalt containing
many small shelly pahoehoe tubes and subsidence
cavities. These are representative of types common near pahoehoe
vents of Hualalai and other Hawaiian volcanoes, but
these are not often observed at so low an altitude.
ADMINISTRATIVE
CONSIDERATIONS
The summit of Puhia
Pele is a natural ahu
defining an angle in the boundary between Kaupulehu
and Maniniowale ahupuaa
(the latter apparently coalesces with the mauka
points of Kukio 1 and 2 ahupuaa
in its general vicinity). Most of the complex is within Maniniowale
ahupuaa. Access roads are present in both,
paralleling the rift. Little vegetation is present. Goats are the primary
pests; their droppings and carcasses are plentiful. The complex should be
fenced to exclude them and also to exclude the curious public, especially
children from nearby subdivisions. One or more gates should be provided for
access by permit for scientific study and education. Such a fence would be
about 1 km long. Except perhaps where it would cross the outlet trench, no
special physical obstacle to fencing is present.
Many of the features described are
liability concerns to present owners. Some legal authorities are said to hold
that liability risks are greater when an area is fenced than when it is in its
natural condition. This should not be a deterrent to fencing, however, and it may
increase the possibility that the current owners would give the land to the
state upon mere request.
SIZE
OF
Barring unexpected discoveries when its
cavernous extensions are mapped in detail, a representative area could be
enclosed within a rectangle about 400 m long and 150 m wide, extending along
the rift. This is shown on the attached 1: 24,000 map. An addition of a few
hundred m2 north of the summit cone would add a desirable representative sample
of shelly pahoehoe tubes and subsidence cavities, as
well as
providing direct access from the Kaupulehu ahupuaa road.
REFERENCES
Halliday, William R. 1992. Caves and associated
features of open vertical volcanic conduits of the Kaupulehu
lava flows xenolith nodule beds, Hualalai
volcano,
Halliday, William R. 1994. A notable compound
volcanic pit on the southeast rift zone of Hualalai
volcano,
Halliday, William R. in press. Recent
vulcanospeleological progress in
Moore, Richard B. and
David A. Clague. 1991. Geologic map of Hualalai
volcano,
Observations
and commentary on the changing face of West Virginia
Anyone traveling to the cave country of
Poultry is big business in the
With cropland at a premium in the hill
country, there is little suitable land on which to spread manure four times a
year. Most livestock farmers that raise their own feed have land on which to
spread manure. However, this is not necessarily true with the poultry farmers.
Where there is land available, the sheer volume of manure can easily outstrip
the capacity of the land to assimilate it. This has happened in Lancaster
Country PA, and will happen here.
Where does all this manure go? Many dump
truck loads of it were dumped in the Baker quarry on Rt. 55 when we drove past
over Easter; on a recent trip to Carols Crack, located in the quarry, it was
noted that the manure had recently been removed but pools of heavily
contaminated water remained behind. After a summer thunderstorm, these pools
were observed to be flowing across the road and into
Editors Note: For a more detailed report
on the effects of poultry growing on caves, see Cave Conservationist Vol 13 No. 5.
Source, article by M. Fernandez, Cdr.
Cody's Chronicle, Fall 1994)
To many of us cavers, the question of
moving the lunchroom from its deep underground site was a simple one. Why not have the facility on the surface, now that elevators are
there to whisk tired travelers up so they don't have walk back out? After all,
wouldn't the facility employ as many people and attract as many people if on the
surface?
Well, friends, it's not quite that
simple. Some substantial money benefits accrue to the concessionaire if the
facility stays where it is. Under the current contract between the Park Service
and the concessionaire, concessions would be compensated only by the
depreciated book value for possessory interest if the
facility is closed, whereas they would be compensated at current appraised
value if it remains open but the next contract is awarded to another bidder.
This would be a substantial gain for private business at the expense of cave
conservation.
Has anyone thought of finding
private/public funds to buy off the concessionaire or the problem will never go
away?
Understandably cavers have some
reservations about this invitation to give agencies of the federal government
names of significant caves in their area. Some fear that this will become a
channel through which cave locations will become better known and the resulting
increase cave use will threaten the resource. Others hope that by providing the
information we can expect the government agency to cooperate in adequate
protection of the resource. Below is how Ray Keeler of the
Enclosed are nominations for the caves
the Grotto would like to submit for inclusion on the
Specifically omitted were caves that were
personal project and both secret and non-secret caves that were not considered
to be in danger. Individuals may of course submit caves on their own. Some
members of the Grotto are adamantly opposed to this process. Many others want
to make the effort to determine how well this process will work. Despite
assurances of the nominating process, there is concern as to the distribution
and storage of the information in either physical files or computer data bases,
thus leading to increased traffic in the caves. Why? We have two instances this
year in
The second major concern has been the limited
resources available to manage these caves currently known by the land managers.
We hope that once some of these non-renewable resources are brought to the
attention of land managers, additional dollars will be allocated to impose
proper management. In many cases the better known caves have been poorly
managed, though there are a couple of wonderful exceptions.
Good luck in your efforts to help protect
these fragile resources.
WHY
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY PROTECTS CAVES
Tina Hall
The leaves crunch under our feet as we
walk through the early winter woods. The woods look nondescript, bare stark
trees with uniform brown leaves strewn across the forest floor. An occasional
gray rock pokes its head out of the leaves.
Most hikers would give the woods only a
brief glance of interest before moving on. However there is more in these woods
than the passing hiker realizes. There is a complex, diverse, breathtaking
beautiful natural community hidden in these winter woods.
"Is this what you were looking
for?" the landowner asks. We have stopped at a hole in the ground. We have
arrived at a small surface outcrop of rocks with an opening three feet wide and
four feet high. When we bend down to more closely examine the opening, we can
feel warm, moist air blowing from the dark entrance. A dry fern at the hole's mouth flutters gently in the breeze caused by the air
exiting the hole.
The landowner looks skeptical. "I've
known about this hole for years, but I thought it was nothing more than a
dirty, wet drain." I ponder the landowner's statement and realize that his
comment about this "useless hole" are
predictably shared by the majority of
What we are standing next to is a cave
entrance. Caves, being far from dark, cold areas devoid of life, harbor a
variety of unique natural communities.
Scientists studying caves have calculated
that there are over five hundred species of cave-limited animals living in
caves in
I pull a picture out of my notebook and
show the landowner a picture of a small white amphipod unique to his cave. He
looks at the small, white creature that looks very much like a shrimp, if you
shrunk a shrimp down to the size of the tip of your fingernail. "Why
should I care about something like that?" he asks. While it is true that
much of the diversity in caves are small, boneless
aquatic "bug-like" creatures, these creatures play an important role
in the cave community and in the human community.
The landowner nodded in recognition, when
I asked if he was familiar with the old habit of miners taking a canary into
the mines. Canaries were susceptible to low doses of poisonous gases in the
mine. If the canary began to act ill, the miners knew that they were in danger
of gases, even though they could not yet feel the effects. I then explained
that this little amphipod in the cave was much like a canary for clean water.
The amphipod and other cave creatures need clean, uncontaminated sources of
water in which to live. If we see a decline in the number of amphipods we then
may question the quality of the water. Finding lots of amphipods in a cave
system usually means that the landowner's adjacent well has good water quality.
In the
"Besides these little aquatic
animals, do bats live in
In
Once again peering down into the dark
hole, the landowner got down on his knees and peered in with a flashlight.
"I had no idea there was life in these things."
I got down next to the cave and pointed
to the small ferns and mosses growing at the cave entrance. "It's not just
the rare animals, or clean water, that make a cave
unique, but the whole complex interaction of animals, water, and organic
material that makes a cave a unique ecosystem, just like a barrier reef, or
mountain bog. Some caves may have unique plants that grow in the cool,
sheltered entrance overhangs. As you move further into the cave, a cave stream
may play an important role, or large mud banks may be full of organic material
providing food and energy for cave animals."
So many different cave communities exist
that recently a researcher from the
Cave protection continues to be a
priority for The Nature Conservancy in
The next time you are out on your farm or
hiking through the woods, remember that what is above ground is not the only
natural community you may have. You may be lucky enough to have a unique, diverse
ecosystem hidden under your feet.
The Ozark Chapter Conservation Committee
of the Sierra Club is forming a task force to monitor bat populations in
(
Not much is known about the ecology of
Ozark cave fish and the environmental conditions necessary for their survival.
There is a growing awareness that human disturbance and changing land
practices, leading to increased sediment and pollutant inputs into cave
systems, may be adversely affecting cave fish populations. Of particular
concern is the increased potential for inputs of sediments, nutrients and
pollutants such as pesticides into pristine cave systems. Caves of the
In the spring of 1994 Ken Lister, an MU
graduate student and employee of Missouri Department of Conservation,
approached me about the feasibility of using SPMDs (semipermeable membrane devices) to determine the possible
presence of organic pollutants in selected Springfield plateau caves with the
Ozark cave fish. SPMDs are a new type of device
developed by our research group in
The Western Region has grant money
available for scientific research or conservation projects. Past grants have
been awarded to Mike Sims for his study of ice deposits in northern
REPORT
ON
The initial formative period of this new
Conservancy has ended, and for 1994 they report 72 Founding members and 104
regular members. They are going into a graduated membership structure ranging
from $15.00 and up. They are working on a Cave Owner Packet which will include
a brochure and fact sheet, among other things. They are also developing a press
kit and new member packet. They have approximately $12,500 in total funds. The
next
(Source: Meramec
Caver, February 1993)
An article in the October 1994 issue of Game
News covered the gating of
"Gating
"Of the nine caves and mines we've
gated, this is the only one that wasn't an active hibernation site. Nobody has
tried such a restoration project before, and we'll be watching to see if bats
reoccupy a cave once human disturbance has been eliminated.
"There are nine species of bats that
live in
"When hibernating bats are aroused,
whether by the most well-intentioned spelunkers or the most flagrant vandals,
they expend energy needed to carry them through the winter. Too much
disturbance and a bat may abort its young or even starve to death. Therefore,
to protect hibernating bats, we began gating caves about ten years ago, and
since then nine caves and mines (some 15 gates) have been protected.
"We're optimistic that bats will
again use
"We'll census this cave this coming
winter and the next to evaluate the effectiveness of the gate. After that it
will likely be censused at two-year intervals.
Finding only a half dozen or so bats this year would be considered a success,
but we'll give the project ten years before drawing conclusions on the
feasibility of gating unused caves.
"Caving will not be permitted at
"Gates must satisfy three functions:
maintain adequate airflow, so as not to restrict or modify the cave
environment; allow bats to easily fly through it; and keep out people. While
every gate is customized to accommodate each cave opening, they are constructed
of four-inch angle iron spaced so that bats can fly through the openings.
"In all our previous gating efforts,
bat populations have slowly but methodically increased. A mine at
"This mine is also noteworthy
because it's
(Source, Fall 1994 Loyalhanna Troglodyte.)
PROBLEMS
AHEAD FOR ENVIRONMENT IN
An AP dispatch printed in the Fairfax
Journal
Past environmental disasters were cited: Allied
Chemical's dumping of the pesticide kepone in the
According to the April 1995 issue of Der Fledermaus,
newsletter of the Flittermouse Grotto, the count of
the rare and endangered Virginia Big-eared Bat this year conducted in
A radio telemetry research project has
been inaugurated to study the habits of the Big-eared Bats. Assisting the
agencies conducting the research will be Cato and Susan Holler of the North
Carolina Cave Survey. Researchers will attach radio transmitters to the bats to
monitor their movements. The experiment was designed to help the scientists
learn where the females go to have their babies and where the bats go to feed.
This information will help the state protect the nursery locations from being
disturbed during the baby bats' first critical three weeks of life when they
are still flightless, and it will help the Wildlife Commission protect the
bats' food supply when they learn their feeding range.
The dreaded Gypsy Moth has been sighted
in the northern mountain and spraying for the pest will take place this summer
as close by as Boone, Todd, Jefferson, and Marion. The primary chemical used in
this spraying is a bacterial agent known as BT which kills butterflies and
moths in the caterpillar stage. Because the Big-eared Bats feed almost
exclusively on moths, and because BT kills all moths indiscriminately, Wildlife
officials are working with the state agricultural department to give them
information on the bats' feeding grounds with hopes that alternative methods
can be employed to protect the Grandfather forest from the Gypsy Moth without
destroying all of the bats' food sources.
These projects are supported by the North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission's Nongame and
Endangered Wildlife Fund. The Fund was established in 1983 when the North
Carolina Legislature added a line to the
BAT
FRIENDLY BRIDGE DESIGNS IN
Most cavers by now have heard about the
largest urban bat colony in the world, over a million Mexican free-tailed bats, that roost beneath a bridge in the heart of
Merlin Tuttle addressed the annual Bridge
Designers' Conference of the Texas Department of Transportation,
department engineers began thinking seriously about how to attract bats to
other bridges.
BCI and the Texas Department of
Transportation began a multi-year cooperative project this past spring to
survey other bridges throughout Texas and determine which designs best attract
bats and why. The new project is a follow-up to a pilot study conducted in
1991, which concentrated primarily on
Over this past spring and summer more
than 600 bridges were examined throughout
Using the additional data and detailed
measurements resulting from the new study, BCI is working with bridge design
engineers to discover the most effective and practical methods to meet bat
needs without adding to bridge costs as new ones are built or others are
repaired. The Texas Department of Transportation is already making slight
adjustments when building bridge types appropriate for bat roosts, and this
year alone may have created enough new habitat to accommodate a million
additional bats. Without this cooperative project, older bridges would
gradually have been lost as bat roosts. Experiments are also under way to
retrofit some existing bridges with structures that will accommodate bats. In
the first test on a bridge near
Building significant wildlife habitat
into
Although current evidence tends to
indicate that bridges will prove to be good bat habitats only in southern
regions or in warmer areas of the West, there may be exceptions. Eventually the
project will expand to include other parts of the country. BCI would like to
hear about any bridges now occupied by bats anywhere in the country (BCI, Att: Bats and Bridges Coordinator,
(Source: Bats, Winter 1994,
newsletter of Bat Conservation International)
Thirteen European nations have now signed
a pact that aims for coordinated protection of
For example, the greater horseshoe bats
migrate between the
The agreement will help safeguard roosts
and feeding sites needed to maintain healthy bat populations.
(Source: Huntsville
Grotto Newsletter, February 1995, found by a member in "The New Garden
Journal.")
BAT
CONSERVATION
Judy Fisher, chair of Tri-State grotto
and also co-chair of conservation for
Our first evening we
were introduced to Dr. Merlin Tuttle of BCI and presented with a slide show,
"The World of Bats."
I had seen the slide show previously when J. C. and I attended a lecture in
Monday was filled with lectures and
discussions, "Habitat Assessment," "Threats to Bat
Survival," and "Bat Identification." Our field trip on this day
was going to an old Girl Scout camp to study bat habitats and to locate areas
to set up mist nets and traps. The afternoon consisted of training in setting
up the mist nets properly and taking them down properly. There is a right way
and a wrong way. After dinner we headed back to the Girl Scout camp to set up
for our first night's work.
I was with the group that set up three
mist nets around a small pond below the Girl Scout camp consisting of two 42'
and one 10' mist net. I had been the
only person with a bat detector so I got it
out and we all sat around listening and patiently waiting for the bats. It
seemed like hours before our first bat was netted. Our first bat was a female Red
Bat. Later a Flying Squirrel was caught in one of the nets set up closer to he Girl Scout Camp. While everyone else was oohing and ahhing over the
squirrel, I went back with Jim Kennedy, who is a caver and with the
Pennsylvania Game Commission, to check our net and found a Red Bat. This was my
opportunity to get my first bat from the net. It wasn't as hard as I thought it
would be. I felt like I was going to hurt her but you soon realize their
resiliency. Our first night out mist netting wasn't great; we didn't net very
many bats. In mist netting, one learns that the full moonlight and weather do
make a difference. We arrived back at Camp Green Hills around
Tuesday morning our lecture on "Cave
and Mine Assessment for Bat Use" started at
Wednesday Cal Butchkoski,
Pennsylvania Game Commission, gave our morning lecture and discussion on
"Artificial Roosts as Conservation Tools" (bat houses).
The rest of the afternoon was spent
learning about Bat Tracking with radio transmitters and antennas. We were given
the opportunity to try the equipment by tracking a hidden transmitter. We then
continued lectures on solving nuisance and public health problems. This was
dealing with Bats-in-Buildings and working with people about their fears of
disease from bats. Also working with pest control operators
and Public Health officials.
Our evening field trip was spent back at
Thursday morning we discussed the
possibilities as to why no bats were netted on Wednesday night. The
possibilities were: (1) Dew on the nets made the nets too heavy and made the
nets more visible. (2) It was very foggy in the area around the Beaver Pond.
The fog interferes with the bat's echolocation. (3) The activity of the insects
dropped as the evening wore on.
Dr. Tuttle then proceeded to show us how
to place a transmitter on a Brown Bat but not actually placing the transmitter
on our little friend that had been previously caught. He was used only for
demonstration. This was to have been done Wednesday night after the Beaver Pond
mist netting session. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour for the placing of
the transmitter process. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to participate in the
procedure.
The Thursday afternoon lecture involved
"Conflict Avoidance." Dr. Tuttle told us some of his experiences in
dealing with governments, corporations, and individuals. Listening and
understanding the reasoning of both sides.
Thursday evening I opted to go to
Huntingdon Rocks to mist net. We netted a few bats but were driven from our
quest by a thunder and lightening storm.
Friday morning, I got up for the
This was the most interesting,
fascinating, and educational week I have spent in a long time. So often we hear
and read about the bats of other countries and the western part of the
BUMPER
STICKERS TO PAY FOR CAVING
Source:
This is a local development in Jackson
County, Alabama. A legislator there wanted to levy a fee on cavers wishing to
cave in the area. He proposed a fee of $5 to $10 per caver per cave, to help
pay for the expenses of cave rescues. Many cavers in the Huntsville Grotto and
the Scottsboro area objected to this and came up with an alternative method of
raising money for the purpose. The legislator has agreed to drop the issue if
monies can indeed be raised by the proposed means.
The Huntsville Grotto will be printing
and selling bumper stickers for the Scottsboro-Jackson County Rescue Squad.
They will be three inches in diameter, yellow and green, and will state "Cavers
support the Scottsboro-Jackson County Rescue Squad." You can get a sticker
for a $5.00 donation--and you can donate more and get extra stickers for your
fellow cavers.
This approach to what may be a problem in
many caving areas is worth considering. If our hobby is costing the locals
money, maybe we should pay something.
This fall the National Cave Management
Symposium is within a reasonable distance from
Check the Cave Conservationist last
issue for more detailed information.
RESTORING
Over the weekend of
The bolt removal team worked from
aluminum extension ladders, quickly disassembling hardware. Once the bolts were
removed, the remaining holes were injected with a slow setting epoxy, then sand was pressed into the epoxy masking evidence of the
hole. This process worked so well that the holes became invisible immediately
after filling.
The second team grabbed shovels, trash
bags, and set to removing the numerous fire rings that were in the cave between
the entrance and the skylight. Rocks were rolled to cover the blackened
surfaces with the sand of the floor. Ash and trash was shoveled into garbage
sacks and bag after bag was hauled up to the
At the end of the cave, orange
fluorescent spray that had been prayed on a rock and the walls was removed.
This was quite a challenge, since the surface was dry, our water supply was
limited, and we had not brought bladder bags. Two steel-bristled brushes were
worn out on the job. Then some sherpas
brought more water and some sand from the entrance. Finally, a
slurry of water, sand, and charcoal (found on site thanks to NASA)
proved to be the trick. The orange spray painted sign "THE END" is no
longer there.
· A final note: A serious conservation challenge is
presented by the caves of the Fort Rock Ranger District, including Skeleton,
· {Editorial question: On the one hand, we
read about federal plans to exact user fees from cavers per visit. On the
other, we learn of several budget cuts in
The Bureau of Land Management has
completed a restoration project at
Help
Protect
Caves contain a variety of sensitive
features. These include rare or endangered plants and animals, geologic
features, formations, evidence of past human use, and microorganisms that have
been undisturbed for thousands of years. In particular, bats in this area are
decreasing in number at an alarming rate. It is the responsibility of every
cave visitor to protect these resources.
Think about the consequences of your actions in this cave.
Anytime you bring in a large number of people, build a campfire or smoke a
cigarette, you raise the air temperature which disturbs bats and microorganisms
living here. Smoke from a campfire, even if it right beneath the skylight, travels all the way to the end of the cave.
Climbing and bolting in the cave leaves behind human-caused impacts that are
not in keeping with the WSA's natural character.
What
Can I Do to Help?
· - Please refrain from camping inside
· - Limit your group size.
· - No fires, smoking, fireworks, or
discharge of firearms.
· - No climbing or bolting.
· - Pack out your trash.
· - If you see bats, leave the cave
immediately.
Take nothing But
Pictures
Kill Nothing But
Time
Leave No Trace
(This notice from
An Oige, the Irish Youth Hostel Association have
just completed some research on how long litter takes to decay; plastic bags
ten to twenty years, aluminum cans five hundred years, plastic bottles and styrofoam indefinitely.
This is particularly depressing when
considered with reference to
Most of the rubbish was resting on the
main ledge half way down the pot and so a major cleanup was planned. The day
before this took place the spell of dry weather broke and torrential rain had
the dual effect of preventing the cleanup and washing the rubbish further into
the system.
Just how great was the
effect of the rain was seen the next week when the depleted group
returned. Only a small percentage of the rubbish remained on the ledge. The
rest had been washed further into the system.
Fermanagh District Council had provided a skip,
bags and gloves so the remaining offending rubbish was hauled out.
Interestingly in the short time that the
skip was in place it was filled with cookers, fridges and other assorted
rubbish which, we can only speculate, would also have ended up at the bottom of
Since then, a trip into Arch 2 through
the connection from Noon's revealed that the rubbish has already started its
journey to the Arch Resurgence with quantities of polythene and dead rat draped
along the streamway plus polystyrene balls rather
than foam marking flood levels.
It will take a long time for all the
rubbish to make its way through this, one of the classic trips in
Partly in response to this incident Fermanagh District Council have, with the agreement of the
landowner, agreed to remove the stile which facilitates easy access to the head
of the pot and also improve fencing around the pot.
A recent development to the rubbish
problem comes in the form of the new Litter (
The order gives both public and the
council increased powers to tackle the litter problem.
To meet the requirements Fermanagh District Council have, for example, divided the
county into four zones (red for town, blue for tourist route etc.).
Each zone has different grades which
specify response times in which the area must be restored to rubbish free.
The Order gives the local authority power
to hand out on the spot fines. On the other hand, if anyone wishes to complain
about a littered site they can contact the council giving them
five days notice that they intend to take court action. How deep does this
Litter Order extend?
(Source: Caves & Caving, April
1995)
By Don Drees,
Park Naturalist,
In 1966, Congress authorized construction
of the Meramec Dam for flood control and recreational
purposes. Land acquisition began in 1968. Many Midwestern cavers were
greatly disappointed when the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, who were to build the dam, annexed
Cavers were very disappointed (yes, even
enraged) when the Corps completely closed
The Corps closed
For decades,
Opposition to the dam, and the lake it
would create, quickly arose and they soon became very controversial topics. The
opposition became so widespread and vocal that by 1978
After congressional deauthorization
of the project, the Corps transferred ownership of
When I made my assessment of the cave, I
could not see any indication of an unstable ceiling. Despite the disgusting
presence of a lot of spray-painted names and initials, I was impressed by the
quantity and quality of the cave's speleothems. And I
was also impressed by the quantity and diversity of the cave fauna, especially
the number of hibernating bats. By simply walking through the main passage, I
saw more than 150 solitary bats of four different species, although there were
no bat clusters. (A much more thorough survey on
Based on these observations, I made the
recommendation that the park manage
In Bats (Vol. 9, No. 3, 1991),
Merlin D. Tuttle says, "A severe winter compounded by human disturbance
could spell disaster for a hibernating bat. Only three extra arousals beyond
the normal could cost the bat its life."
In light of the increasing understanding
by scientists of the vulnerability of hibernating bats, I am proposing that it
is time the Missouri Department of Natural Resources considers the detrimental
effects that the state park system's current cave management practices are
having on non-endangered bats. Although the more common cave hibernating bats
might not become in danger of extinction, their populations would certainly
grow if human-caused hibernation mortality were reduced.
In 1989,
Thus,
A second part of the
When the Corps eventually closed down
their Sullivan office, I became the recipient of documents pertinent to several
bat research studies they had commissioned. Unfortunately, I didn't get the
code sheet identifying which caves were the focus of
the studies. Last winter Rick Clawson, a bat biologist for the Missouri Department
of Conservation, provided me with a copy of the code sheet. It was the key to a
wealth of information.
In the Corps documents, Brian Wilcox, a
naturalist at
Although it may be overly optimistic on
my part to hope that Indiana bats return to this cave any time soon (given
their continuing and alarming population decline), limiting access to Mushroom
Cave during the hibernation period might allow them to recolonize
the cave. Consequently, this combination of bat hibernation concerns has led me
to recommend that
This closed period would be 1.5 months
shorter than the recommended closed period for
Some of the questions that readers can
give me suggestions or information on include:
· 1. Do you know of other agencies (in
· 2. What, in your opinion, constitutes a
significant population of non-endangered hibernating bats?
· 3. What recommendations do you have for
managing visitors who do go into caves that have significant populations of
non-endangered hibernating bats?
· 4. Do you know of any abandoned
My thanks to the
____
Permission has been granted by the
The Meramec
Caver also printed this descriptive material about
"The entrance to
The middle entrance of Mushroom cave was
used to bring manure wagons in and mushrooms out when the cave was used for
mushroom farming nearly a century ago. There is a corresponding collapsed cave
canyon below this entrance on the surface. Due to its northern exposure and the
supply of cool air and water the cave sends into it, this one-acre canyon is a
lush habitat for terrestrial species that are characteristic of more northern
climates.
The east entrance of
Although
The middle entrance of the cave leads
directly into the cave's most spacious corridor where one room is 100 feet long
by 50 feet wide by 20 feet high. A large trunk line passage continues for more
than 800 feet.
A description of the cave written for Missouri
Speleology in 1960 called attention to a section
of the cave along this main corridor where the ceiling "has developed an
unnatural-looking pitch, in some places with the rock slab ceiling actually
bowing downward a maximum of 17 degrees."
Geologically, the cave is in rocks of the
Eminence and
Bretz found some mystifying aspects to the
cave when he compared it to nearby Fisher's Cave also in the park. "The
caves are only two miles apart," he wrote. "They are on the same side
of the valley, in the same formation, and are much alike. Why should the entrance
of Fisher's Cave be more than 100 feet lower than that of
The mystery might be answered by
information the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers obtained when they drilled three
holes into the hill and down through the cave in the early 1970s to see how
deep it was to bedrock. To their surprise, the clay fill on the floor of
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT: THE
Excerpted from an article by John C. Sawhill, President & CEO of The
Nature Conservancy.
I view the Conservancy's work with what
has been called "sustainable development" as an investment in the
brightest hope we have for ensuring a healthy future for all of the Earth's
living things. Because, unless we can discover ways of living that integrate
the competing imperatives of economic opportunity and environmental protection,
we will never be able to reverse the alarming decline of species and natural
habitats.
. . .
Let me tell you why I'm so optimistic. Earlier this year I visited one of the Conservancy's most
innovative "Last Great Places" projects, the
Many of these communities have fallen on
hard times. The area's traditional economic base--coal and tobacco--has been
declining steadily, leaving local residents with limited opportunities and
little hope. This is an all-too-common pattern in rural communities across
This is where the Conservancy can play a
critical role working in partnership with local communities to help build
sustainable economies that protect both the rural way of life and our natural
heritage.
In the Clinch valley, for instance, we
have joined in a partnership with a man named Dick Austin. Once a pastor to
coal miners in
Of course, Dick Austin and his draft
horses won't solve the sustainability puzzle alone. We must also explore new
technologies that may help us achieve leaner, more compatible growth. The
forest products company Westvaco, for example, is developing new varieties of
trees with higher yields, which will mean lower levels of harvesting and more
land left as natural areas. At the Conservancy's Diamond Y Spring preserve in
(Source: Nature
Conservancy, January-February 1995.)
[In case you wonder what all this has to
do with caving, just remember that industrial and suburban home development and
landfills to care for the trash the ever expanding population require are a
direct threat to caves and groundwater resources. The kind of projects
described can give us all hope for the future.]
In a recent issue of the Cascade Caver,
the editor discouraged "tourist caving." This may seem a difficult
stance to take, especially with new members of the grotto. But for those who
have never seen a particular cave, "touring" can still be
accomplished while carrying on other worthwhile projects.
Servicing cave registers, litter
clean-up, surveying, etc. can be carried in conjunction with a tour of the
cave. Not only will we be teaching proper caving etiquette, cave conservation,
and getting the "tourists" involved in a work-related project but we
will also be setting a good example by doing something we should have been
doing all along ourselves. Hopefully this will become the norm rather than the
exception.
(From editorial comments by Larry McTigue, editor, Cascade Caver, March-April 1995. )
·
By Mel Park
Publishers Note: This article doesn't
really have much to with cave conservation directly, but it's being published
here for a number of reasons. First, one of the reasons I bought a computer was
so I could play this game, based on a cave I had visited several times a few
years previously, and of which I had vivid memories. Second, it's by one of our
board members. And finally, I wanted to publish it. So I did. xyzzy to you, too.
A copy that appeared in Troglodyte
Tribune, Dec. 1994, and earlier appeared in March/June 1994
I just received my copy of Apprentice,
the CD of source code put out by Celestin Company. My CD came so soon because I
am one of the hundreds of authors whose work is contained within. Looking
through the CD's contents, I was pleased to see that the source code for Advent
is on the disk. Advent is the successor to the game of ADVENTURE, which in one
form or another has been known to the computing community for thirty years.
On one hand, having ADVENTURE still
distributed in 1994 pays homage to the tradition of this first of all the
text-based computer games. On the other hand, I am pleased even more to see it
because of my close association with the real cave on which the game is based
and because of the tradition within the caving (call it spelunking if you must)
community that the game ADVENTURE represents. How many know that the world you
explore in ADVENTURE is a real place?
The online help for Advent gives this
brief description:
***THE HISTORY OF ADVENTURE (ABRIDGED)***
**By Ima Wimp**
ADVENTURE was originally developed by
William Crowther, and later substantially rewritten
and expanded by Don Woods at
*According to legend*--Hah! ADVENTURE is
based on a real cave, one that is, indeed, now part of the Mammoth Cave System
in
Bedquilt was Willie's favorite part of the cave
system. I still have a copy of his map of it. Computer types who grew up
exploring ADVENTURE don't realize how accurately the game represents passages
in
On a survey trip to Bedquilt,
a member of my party (Bev Schwartz) mentioned she
would one day like to go on a trip to
A second funny incident also reminded me
of the game. About three years ago, a party was returning from a survey trip in
Bedquilt. When suspended in space at the most awkward
point in the climb out of the Hall of Mists, one party member, Roger, noticed
to his horror a copperhead snake (was it THE SNAKE?) on the ledge next to his
right hand. This climb is more difficult than just typing "up" or
"down" at your computer terminal. At the top of it, you are stretched
all the way out, pressing against the other wall with outstretched legs, while
fervently searching for a place to put your butt or back in order to support
your weight. You can't move anywhere quickly in that predicament. Confronted by
the snake, Roger was so beside himself that all he could do was yell "Strike, strike" as the copperhead proceeded
to do just that. Tom, the party leader, had already made the climb up (and not
seen the snake). Looking around for something to do, he found a stick (was it
the MAGIC WAND?), in the Bird Chamber (the room with the rivers of orange
stone, actually a beautiful column of orange travertine). Wand in hand, he
moved the snake away. Fortunately, the snake lacked energy from having been in
the 55-degree cave for a while, and Roger was wearing gloves and heavy caving
attire. None of the snake bites penetrated.
As a final irony, the Apprentice CD
contains a small map of
The following regulations have been
published in the Federal Register and have thus gone into effect. This is
probably typical of the kind of regulations that will be put into place by the
various agencies as the FCRPA evaluation process continues. Of course, these
regulations are particularly important given the bolting and climbing in caves
problems that have occurred in Oregon in recent years (see several previous
issues of the Cave Conservationist for details). -rs
FEDERAL REGISTER
Vol. 60, No. 72
Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (DOI)
Bureau of Land Management (
[OR-933-6332-00; GP5-101]
Closures and Restrictions:
60 FR 19077
DATE:
ACTION: Notice.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to 43
The Federal Cave Resources Protection Act
of 1988 (16
The term "cave" means any
naturally occurring void, cavity, recess, or system of interconnected passages
which occurs beneath the surface of the earth or within a cliff or ledge
(including any cave resource therein, but not including any vug,
mine, tunnel, aqueduct, or other manmade excavation) and which is large enough
to permit an individual to enter, whether or not the entrance is naturally
formed or manmade. Such term shall include any natural pit, sinkhole, or other
feature which is an extension of the entrance.
Recreational or other human activities
are allowed in caves when consistent with protecting other cave resource
values. Foot access and exploration in caves is permissible, unless otherwise
limited.
Until caves are determined significant
and management plans are prepared which provide specific management
prescriptions, the following interim restrictions will insure the protection of
significant and potentially significant caves on federal lands administered by
the
1. Where known or potential adverse
impacts from human use to threatened, endangered, and/or sensitive plants or
animals, cultural resources, biological deposits (i.e. middens,
skeletal remains, etc.), or geologic/paleontologic/mineral
features are present, the responsible authorized officer shall act to protect
these resources. Such actions could include information/education, closures
(seasonally or year-long), written authorization for activities, or other
appropriate measures.
2. Written authorization will be required
from the responsible authorized officer for any activity or installation that
could destroy, disturb, deface, mar, alter, harm, remove cave resources or
alter the free movement of life into or out of any significant or potentially
significant cave. This could include recreational, scientific, educational,
commercial or competitive uses. Written authorization can be in the form of an
approved management plan, use permit or authorizing letter.
3. The
4. The
5. Authorized activities or installations
are subject to the agency's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process
and shall be consistent with the intent of the Federal Cave Resources Protection
Act of 1988 and any conditions of existing policy and/or management decisions
for the affected cave(s). Written authorization would require the applicant to
provide the time, scope, location and specific purpose of the proposed activity
and the manner in which the activity is to be performed.
6. Unless otherwise authorized, the
following acts are prohibited in all caves on
- Willfully defacing, removing or destroying plants or
their parts, soil, rocks or minerals, or cave resources
- Building, maintaining, attending or using any fire,
campfire or stove
- Smoking
- Camping
- Possessing, discharging or using any kind of fireworks
or other pyrotechnic device
- Discharging a firearm, air rifle, gas gun or paint gun
- Possessing a domestic animal
- Depositing or disposing of human waste
- Digging, excavation, or displacement of natural and/or
cultural features
- Entering into a cave which requires written
authorization; or engaging in any activities for which a written
authorization requirement has been established, without having obtained in
advance and having in possession such written authorization
- The use of hand drying agents for climbing which are
not natural appearing
- New surface disturbing activities within a 350 foot
radius of a cave opening or any known cave passages which may adversely
impact any significant or potentially significant cave resource value.
7. Existing installations (e.g. stairs,
ladders, fixed anchors, etc.) will be evaluated for retention or removal.
Retained and future installations designed and authorized to be left in place
should normally be camouflaged to minimize visual impacts. Method of removal or
future placement will be pre-approved by the authorized officer and a condition
of written authorization. Any non-permanent apparatus or equipment used must be
removed immediately after its use.
8. The use of hand drying agents for climbing
requires mitigation measures (chalk balls, pigmented chalk, etc.) to avoid
creating a visual impact from residue. If needed, periodic cleaning of drying
agents by cave users to the satisfaction of the authorized officer can be
required.
Penalties
Any person who violates this closure and
restriction notice may be subject to a maximum fine not to exceed $ 1,000
and/or imprisonment not to exceed twelve months under authority of 43
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave
Harmon,
Dated:
Gretchen Lloyd,
Chief, Branch of Social
Sciences and Resource Data Management.
[FR Doc. 95-9193 Filed
BILLING CODE 4310-33-P
Received via the
Internet and Ed Lisowski.
via the Internet and John Lyles
Cavers of the world,
I realize that many of you don't give a guano about what the US Department of Interior, Bureau of
Land Management (
Now, the
Instead of enclosing the entire EA here,
I'll summarize with the decision that a
--------------------------
Decision: The decision is to accept the proposal
allowing limited commercial caving operations on public lands within the
Roswell District.
Rationale: Commercial guides for outdoor recreation
adventures are common throughout federal land management agencies. Commercially
guided trips to caves or any other recreational resource is a legitimate form
of recreation use, as long as the activity is closely monitored and controlled.
Commercially guided cave trips would offer the general public a safe avenue to
view this underground resource. By allowing commercial guided trips to the
public, the general public will become better informed and more aware of the
fragile resource. Cave visitors would have the opportunity to view and use cave
equipment and would gain the knowledge or desire to learn more about the
resource. Commercially guided visitors would be better equipped and gain
knowledge on safe, low impact use of cave resources prior to entering a cave.
Most first-time cavers with any organized caving group usually are not
orientated or do not have the proper equipment prior to entering a cave. This
commercial caving environment assessment has been developed to analyze impacts
of commercial caving activities.
Finding of No Significant Impact: Based on the analysis of potential
environmental impacts contained in this EA, it has been determined that the
adverse impacts caused by the proposed action would not be significant.
Therefore, preparation of an EIS is not required and the proposed action is
approved.
---------------------------------
My comments and analysis as I read it....
The area of concern is a gypsum karst area, with an estimated 150 to 300 caves [from EA].
99 caves were submitted as significant, per the 1988 Federal Cave Resource
Protection Act. Some caves are well known, and already receive numerous
permitted visitations. The largest,
There will be a requirement for an hour
orientation (specific topics covered) to all clients. There will be
requirements for the operator to haul human wastes out, to have 1 guide for
every 5 clients, to prevent tobacco consumption in the caves, to adhere to
closures, to use only electric lights for main source, and to carry certain
minimum equipment. Each trip shall have a leader who has first-aid, CPR, search
and rescue training (8 hrs. cave) and caving
experience.
This EA is still a proposal as of today,
so if you think or know you have any comments, post them here, and contact the
LATE
BREAKING SUMMARY OF DEVELOPMENTS WITH
The following was posted to the
Cavers-Digest
I'm posting this message after our grotto
conservation chairman (David Jagnow) had
conversations with representatives of the U.S. Dep't of Interior, Bureau of
Land Management,
The
1) The EA in question was mistakenly
mailed as a completed EA, when it was actually a DRAFT.
2) The sign off page, which showed
approval, was not authorized and should not have been mailed to public.
3) The statement that there would be NO IMPACT
to the caves should not have been approved. There will be impact, and this
needs to be addressed. There is some conflict apparently with the NEPA
(Environ. Protection) process, in that caves and karst
are not included in discussions of impact?
4)
5)
6) MOST IMPORTANT ------- District
manager Leslie Cone, and the cave resource specialists of
The address is:
The topics of discussion will be the EA
for commercial caving outfitters,
We hope that this clarifies
John Lyles
jtml@lanl.gov Pajarito Grotto northern
Publisher's Note: Since The preceding was
received, I have received several copies of letters from cavers to the
URGENT
ACTION NEEDED: PORTUGUESE
Dated
Date:
"As gravuras
nao sabem nadar" Engravings can't swim.
This is an urgent call from ISHA to all
concerned by the subterranean heritage.
The Portuguese Electrical Company (
In 1992, more than 50 engravings dated
20,000 years BC were discovered by Nelson Rebanda
near the village of Villa Nova de Foz Coa. The site was kept secret to avoid looting until
November 1994. The engravings are absolutely remarkable, presenting the shape
of Auroch, Mammoth, Horses and other prehistoric
animals.
The engravings were authenticated by
numerous experts from UNESCO. Today the
Last week-end, more than a thousand
demonstrators protested against the destruction of this site, and there has
been a hunger strike chain going on since April 25th. in
front of the Jeronomos Monastery in
YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!
Send a letter to the Portuguese Embassy
IN YOUR COUNTRY, saying : AS GRAVURAS NAO SABEM NADAR!
STOP THE
There are people camping there all the
time to prevent the flooding, and hunger strikers in
ISHA/AIPS
Publisher's Note: Technically, these
engravings are not in caves. They are in sheltered overhangs of the rock. But
ISHA has decided to support the international effort to save them, and its clear that the Europeans do not take this lightly. We
should support this effort if we can.-rs
by Jay Jorden
Ranchers rolled out the red carpet for
the Texas Speleological Association in late February as the
From a campsite along the
Developing good relations with ranchers
in Real and surrounding counties is important. The area is near the
Brackettville site of the 1994 National Speleological Society Convention and is
a leading mohair-producing region. Sheep, goats and cattle herds produce almost
all of
The
A group of Texas Cave Management Association
members and others, in a Sunday visit to one ranch, mapped several hundred feet
in a cave that a rancher had rediscovered on a hillside. The amiable rancher,
who had earlier bulldozed a road to near the cave, was then lowered more than
50 feet into a pit by means of a line tied onto a vehicle. On this weekend,
impressed by cavers' use of rope and vertical equipment, the rancher made his
first rappel-and remarked how smooth the descent was! Some family members and
friends followed down the shaft. Personnel on the trip included William
Russell, Jerry Atkinson, Bill Sawyer and Noble Stidham.
During the weekend, a group of cavers
also visited Devil's Sinkhole, which was a convention cave last year. Other
cavers went to
So friendly and cooperative were the
area's ranchers that at least one caver heard about cave leads during a gas
station stop!
Saturday evening and Sunday morning were
busy times for meetings, with the
During the
Breakfast during the meeting featured
eggs and sausage, with plenty of coffee and salsa to keep participants alert!
The weekend was marred only by a rabid
wildcat's visit to the
Many return trips are planned to the area,
which has now become a hotbed of
From the Internet. Submitted by Thilo
Mueller
Publishers Note: In the last issue of the
Cave Conservationist we included several other cavers
codes for the purpose of stimulating discussion about whether the
I know nothing about the Belgian Caving
Code of Conduct, but since 1992 the Swiss Speleological Society has an Honor
Code. Influenced by that, we have the same in parts of
Here it is (short form):
Basic
Principles in Short
- A well accepted ethic code based on a consensus is
preferable to mandatory rules
- Responsible action as an example to others is more
favorable than authoritative instruction
- The self-awareness of each individual is the best
natural protection for caves
- Every caver is a potential nuisance to the cave,
whether exploring or visiting
- Publishing new discoveries is not only a must, but also
a responsibility to bear
- The Cave Protection Commission of the
Behavior
of the Caver
The self awareness of each person is the
best protection for caves. The caver should be as careful as possible and try
to closely follow the principles below:
- Keep a good relationship with the people of your area
of visit or exploration, respect the landowners and their properties; be
careful where you drive and park your vehicle; leave no rubbish/garbage
behind, make no noise at late hours around buildings, leave cattle gates
as you found them; avoid harassing livestock and disturbing farming land.
- As a basic rule, leave as little trace as possible
behind you and do not take anything out of the cave which belongs to it.
The protection of the cave applies not only to the natural beauty, but to
the cave as a whole, including for example all types of fillings like
concretions, sediments, talus etc., which are also part of the cave's
natural environment. - Consider the underground world as a fragile and
sensitive biotope, and be careful with its fauna (even the unseen
microscopic fauna). This means that the climatic conditions of the cave
should not be permanently altered.
- Stay within your own physical limits; good self-control
is the key to smart behavior, and an exhausted caver may not longer take
care of the cave.
- The use of equipment, bolting and construction in the
cave must be kept to a minimum, and be as discreet as possible, but this
should not be done at the cost of safety. Light expeditions taking a
minimum amount of equipment, without involving the use of heavy bolting or
rigging, are encouraged.
- Constructions and heavy work, such as erecting a
bivouac, forceful clearing of breakdowns or crawls, emptying a sump, must
be the exception and should, as far as possible, be only temporary. The
consequences of such work, particularly on the cave climate, must first be
evaluated.
- Avoid taking too large a group of people with you into
a cave.
- The visit to a cave, or cave system, which is still
being explored, should occur only with the agreement of the cavers doing
the exploration, for safety reasons and to respect the work of the
explorers (finder's rights or anteriority principle). But this does not
give the explorers any right to "privatize" the cave; the
In short: THINK before you act;
the long term consequences could otherwise be catastrophic and irreversible.
If you are not already a member of the
Conservation and Management Section of the National Speleological Society, you
are invited to join. Dues are $5.00 a year, payable to the NSS Cons/Mgmt
Section. Members receive the newsletter regularly and are entitled to vote at
the annual meeting.
r Yes, I would like to join the
Conservation/Management Section. Here
are
my dues in the
amount of $________ (dues of $5/year may be prepaid for up
to three
years).
Name___________________________________
___
Address_________________________________________
______
City__________________________
State_____________
ZIP_________________
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Please send this form with
check/money order to the
Secretary-Treasurer:
Evelyn Bradshaw,
22407-1261.