SIGNIFICANT SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA CAVE ACQUIRED BY

Appalachian Cave Conservancy

Joel Stevenson and John M. Wilson

Gilley Cave is located near the town of Pennington Gap in Lee County, Virginia. The cave, located on a steep hillside above the town, has been known to organized cavers since the early 1950’s and has long been popular with both locals and cavers in Virginia and from surrounding states.

Gilley is a significant cave, both because of its geologic features and because it is a well known and heavily used recreational cave. It ranks 173^rd among American caves in length with a surveyed extent of 7314 meters. According to Bob Gulden’s 2009 cave list, Gilley ranks as the 142^nd deepest cave in the country with a depth of 137 meters. The cave is developed in the Chepultepec Formation, of Cambrian-Ordovician age, and lies along the SE flank of the Chestnut Ridge anticline. The drainage of the cave flows into the nearby Powell River.

For many years both local residents and cavers enjoyed good relations with the cave’s owner, Mr. Ron Moore, who lived adjacent to the cave entrance. Ron respected the cave and controlled access, largely keeping out vandals and others who would abuse it. Although Ron had wanted to donate the cave to one of his Alma Maters of which Clinch Valley College was one, they were not interested. Without Ron’s presence, the cave entrance gradually became a gathering place for drinking and illicit drug use, and in 2006 Ron’s widow Jean attempted to donate the cave to the University of Virginia, the successor to Clinch Valley College. When the University was unable to do so, and after several conservation organizations had declined to take ownership of the property, the misuse of the cave had become so disruptive to the neighborhood that Jean considered asking several of her relatives to permanently close the entrance to the cave using whatever means might be necessary.

At that point, members of the Appalachian Cave Conservancy, who had been consulting with her about her options regarding the cave, offered to construct a gate across the entrance and to devise a minimal management plan that would allow control over entry into the cave. Jean wanted the drug and alcohol use to end, but she was concerned that the cave should continue to be available both for serious scientific study and for responsible recreational caving. The ACC proposal was acceptable to her, and construction of the gate started in the fall of 2009.

As construction of the gate progressed during the fall and winter, it became apparent that the several heirs that had inherited interests in the cave property, which is a significant tract of 11.5 acres, were interested in selling the property. They would be receptive to a proposal that would allow the property to be owned and managed as a nature preserve. The Conservancy hired a local appraiser who determined that the two subdivision lots in which the cave is located have a market value of $12,000.00 exclusive of the value of the cave and without assigning any value to the partly completed cave gate. He was unable to make any determination of the value of the cave and therefore assigned it no value in his appraisal. The owners and members of the ACC Board, after extensive negotiations, agreed that the cave should be valued at $6,000.00 and the Board made a formal offer to the owners for purchase of the property for the sum of $18,000.00. The offer was accepted, and the property was purchased by ACC on 25 January 2010.

The Conservancy obtained private financing, without interest, for three years and is soliciting donations to defray the cost of the acquisition of this important cave.

Although the Gilley Management Plan has not been completed, it will include liberal provisions for recreational caving. However, ACC has temporarily closed all caves that it manages because of the WNS crisis and, at present, no trips of any nature are allowed in Gilley.

The construction of the entrance gate has been a cooperative project between ACC and area grottos. The gate, scheduled for completion in April of 2010, was designed by Tony McGee, who has also done the majority of the fabrication and erection. Joel Stevenson and Gary Fielden have coordinated the work sessions, and John Mathews has overseen the extensive concrete work involved in the gate’s construction. Numerous members of ACC, Mountain Empire Grotto, and Flittermouse Grotto have contributed hundreds of hours of work on the Gilley project. Many more hours of planning and work will be involved in developing the nature preserve and implementing a management plan for the cave and the land above it.