Tuesday Morning
9:00 am to
Coordinated by Val Hildreth-Werker werks@zianet.com
The
Cave Conservation and Restoration Forum explores an expanding array of topics,
techniques, concerns, and partnership building strategies for preventing cave
damage; restoring habitat; repairing formations; planning karst
clean-up projects; funding conservation projects; restoring mud-tracked passages;
evaluating sites for historical signatures, rock art, and other cultural
remains; addressing contemporary graffiti in caves; constructing species-friendly
cave gates; designing minimum-impact protocols, developing gentle restoration
techniques, and designing community outreach initiatives. Each presentation includes time for open discussion. This forum targets protection and perpetuation
of ecological systems through wise resource management and public outreach
strategies.
Special Morning Event at
The
Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy’s
Dave Everton
Phone: 812-855-7361
Fax: 812-855-6899
http://www.indiana.edu/~bureau
Historically, the cave and
property unfortunately received heavy abuse and vandalism. However, a major
turnaround began to take place in the early part of the 21st Century. due to the presence of a property caretaker. Improved
stewardship led to the formation and incorporation of the Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy in 2005, which took over
management of the property and cave. One of the restoration efforts has been
The Buckner Cave Graffiti Removal Project, coordinated by Dave Everton. We used
the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project’s
sandblasting equipment and process, which was specifically developed for
removing graffiti inside caves. The project included documentation of historic
signatures, assessment of impact to the cave environment, removal of
contemporary graffiti, and restoration of the cave environment to a
pre-mitigation level. Photographs illustrate the project methods, and show
before-and-after conditions.
Restoration in
Rick Olson
Division of Science and
Resources Management
Beginning in 1989, NSS
volunteers began doing cave conservation projects in
Among the most significant
projects taken on by the NSS was the removal of an 1100 foot long elevated
boardwalk in Echo River and River Styx plus removal of lighting infrastructure
for this section of the cave. Over a nine-year period, the boardwalk was
dismantled with pry bars and sledgehammers—volunteers often worked in deep
water wearing wetsuits. A group of deaf cavers distinguished themselves in this
work, especially through the invention of a piling puller by John Vargo. Dismantled pieces were carried to “chop shops”,
reduced to manageable size, and bagged. As many as 900 bags in a day were
carried to Mammoth Dome, passed up the tower and out the Historic Entrance,
loaded into a truck, hauled and tossed into a dumpster. Removal of this
rotting, creosote-treated wood has greatly benefited habitat for cave life
including the endangered
Restoration at
Lucas Middleton
Speleo Venture Crew
hardcorecaver@gmail.com
Caves in the Media: Partnership
Outreach Initiatives
Kriste Lindberg
Indiana Karst Conservancy
kriste.lindberg@gmail.com
(812) 327-1642 (cell phone)
Media can be a successful partner in cave conservation. Sources such as
newspaper, film, and the Internet help disseminate information on land use
practices that affect cave life, which can, in turn, be seen as indicators of
water quality and other factors related to ecological balance. There tends to
be a direct relationship between information and stewardship—the more the
public is informed, the more likely stewardship will improve. Projects include
the 30-minute cave biology documentary, "Caves: Life Beneath
the Forest"; collaborations with the local newspaper, “The Herald-Times”; radio
spots in south-central
10:20
– 10:40 Book
Introduction and Break
Cave
Conservation and Restoration: New NSS Book is Catalyst for Networking
State-of-the-Art Information
Val Hildreth-Werker
NSS Conservation
Division
505.895.5050
werks@zianet.com
Recently published by the
National Speleological Society, the new book titled Cave Conservation and Restoration (Hildreth-Werker
and Werker, 2006 edition, ISBN 1879961-15-6), is receiving attention from
cave conservationists around the globe. The
600-page volume contains a wealth of detail from 46 contributors
describing state-of-the-art tools and methods for cave conservation,
restoration, speleothem repair, and minimum-impact
caving ethics. There are more than 400 photos and illustrations with a 16 page
color insert. This new publication includes philosophy and practical
suggestions for making sound conservation decisions based on assessing interdisciplinary
up-to-date information. The tome advocates that the foremost concern in every
decision related to a cave should be the perpetuation of speleological processes,
values, and resources. The new text is
proving to be a catalyst for conservation-centered discussion, international
information networking, quantitative conservation research, and interactive
collaborations working to improve methods.
Merideth Hildreth
505.895.5050
planning@zianet.com
What happens in local
communities when land development encounters karst?
Proactive communities search for answers to resolve karst
issues as development occurs. The NSS Conservation Committee is initiating an
outreach effort to educate land use planners, local planning officials, and
developers about cave and karst conservation. The
newly formed Partnership Building Forum will work to provide information and
answers to karst regions facing development pressure.
This exciting new initiative is comprised of NSS members and interacts directly
with the development community. From discussion of the Forum’s stated purpose
and listed goals, the Forum has developed a strategic plan. The Forum is
compiling a list of target communities in karst
regions experiencing development pressures around the nation so we can send
cave and karst conservation information directly to
them and put them in contact with local caving groups. Members of the Forum are
designing a series of development conferences for karst
regions; recruiting developers to provide assistance and recommendations for the
NSS to work effectively with the development community; and compiling a
database of karst protection ordinances from around
the country. The NSS Partnership Building Forum aims to promote cave and karst protection through community planners and developers
across the nation.
Public Education Equals Public
Support
Donna Mosesmann
Meredith Hall Johnson
703-451-3637
In October of 1994, cavers
gathered in
Through high-profile
initiatives and public education efforts, the TCC has
obtained grants. Cavers are “the cave experts” and there is money available to
assist in the acquisition and protection of caves.
Highlights from TCC’s history include:
1986 The City
of
1990 Seven
species of cave invertebrates in the
1994 The TCC was formed to conduct land management, cave
preservation activities, and public education on tracts of open land containing
caves.
1995 We built
trails and picnic areas, and placed signs at the cave preserves. Urban cave
preserves create long-term cave protection opportunities.
2003 We
celebrated moving into our new headquarters in
2004 We hosted
our first public education event, CAVE DAY, in
2005 The TCC assisted in the transfer of the $10,000,000
property to the City of Cedar Park. This park will be the future CAVE DAY site.
2006 A $13,000
grant was obtained from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to develop
The goal of the Texas Cave
Conservancy is to create the same level of
Urban Cave Management—The
Mike Walsh
1800
512-249-2283
Gordon Birkhimer
703-573-4653
birkhimer@cox.net
More than 1,000
·
Check the
language in your Articles of Incorporation—can your conservancy or grotto act
as a cave management business?
·
Do you have
General Commercial Liability and Volunteers Insurance?
·
Do you have
support from individuals with expertise in sales, geology, biology, accounting,
public education, drafting, construction, cave laws, etc.?
·
Some tasks such
as monthly inspections do not work well through volunteers—are you open to
hiring cavers as “independent contractors”?
·
How can we work
with developers to obtain contracts in such areas as site evaluation, cave
gating, park building, development of educational material, and cave
management? When they need surveyors or
carpenters, they hire them. When they have caves, cavers have the ability to
solve their “problems.”
·
Can you invest
$10,000—$15,000 to obtain the donation of a significant cave and land from a
developer? Can you build high-quality
cave gates, lay out and build wood mulch trails, develop and places signs and
picnic tables, etc.?
·
Are you prepared
to invest time and money into this exciting fund-raising, karst-protecting
opportunity?
With urban caves in the
hands of developers, you have at least two ways to negotiate. To obtain
ownership of a good cave, offer to pay all costs: legal, gating, park building.
If the caves are not ones that you want to own, offer to build a park for the
developer for a reasonable price ($5,000-$10,000) and have them pay you a
monthly fee ($100-500) to manage them. Either way, the “cave problem” is solved
for the developer.
Cave Conservation
and Management Section Lunch Meeting
The Conservation and
Management Section holds its annual meeting during the lunch hour. National and
worldwide conservation concerns are discussed. Potential revision of the NSS
Conservation and Preservation Policies may be entertained.
Cave
Conservation and Management Session
Coordinated by Val Hildreth-Werker werks@zianet.com
The NSS Conservation Division
and the NSS Cave Conservation and Management Section cooperate in providing a
central clearinghouse for information, expertise, and research in cave/karst conservation strategies and cave management
practices. Cave and karst conservation papers are
presented during this annual session. We encourage interactive
presentation formats. Conservation management methods, philosophies, and
concerns are openly discussed during question-and-answer
periods. All are welcome to attend the C&M
Session as well as the C&M Section meeting.
Conservancies and
Emily Davis
Northeastern Cave
Conservancy
John Sagandorf
Howe Caverns, Inc.
In the late 1980s the staff
of the National Speleological Society Fiftieth Anniversary Convention
approached Howe Caverns to see if the convention Howdy Party could be held
on the property. Upon visiting the cave we found that the staff did not see the
cave as the cavers did. The local cavers and volunteers who were working on the
NSS Convention visited Howe several nights between that first visit and the
very successful Howdy Party on
This activity initiated a
relationship that has developed and flourished to this day. The partnership
between the management of Howe Caverns and the cavers of the
Human Dimensions
Research and the Karst Information Portal
Patricia
E. Seiser
Cave
and Karst Stewardship
pseiser@nckri.org
Todd
A. Chavez
Library
Administration
In the natural resources disciplines, human
dimensions research aims to understand the
role of human interactions in the various biological, physical, and social
components of ecosystems. Successfully applying this knowledge to decisions affecting
environmental processes and their societal outcomes depends on collaborations
among interrelated disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences,
humanities, communication sciences, and related interdisciplinary studies. Success is also based on access to reliable sources
of scientific and technical information. Some of the difficulties in
stewardship of karst and cave ecosystems arise from
the limited availability of information concerning human-karst
relationships.
The Karst Information Portal (KIP) is an evolving
international community of scientists, information specialists, and other
researchers seeking to promote information sharing and access to published and
unpublished research in order to advance karst, cave,
and aquifer research and stewardship via the Internet and information-related
technologies.
Researchers at
KIP has the potential to facilitate
communication of scientific and technical research and findings between cave
and karst land stewards, policy makers, community
planners, social scientists, and funding agencies. The resulting collaborations
have the potential for generating innovative solutions to the critical
challenges of karst and cave ecosystem stewardship.
Cave and Karst Protection Initiatives
for Moderate and Low Income Landowners
Joey
Fagan and Wil Orndorff
Joseph.fagan@dcr.virginia.gov
wil.orndorff@dcr.virginia.gov
Numerous private, state, and
federal programs can assist landowners to protect karst
features and caves. Programs such as EQIP, CREP, and Agricultural Best Management Practices help fund
projects on a cost-share basis. Sinkhole cleanouts, livestock exclusion, and
establishing vegetative buffers around karst features
are eligible projects. These programs require some level of financial
commitment by the landowner. Landowners typically bear the initial cost of
constructing conservation practices; government programs reimburse a portion,
usually 50% to 75% upon installation. The Virginia DCR
Karst Program has negotiated with Division of Soil and Water Conservation staff
to count donated volunteer labor value toward landowner share of project cost.
The Karst Program is working with nonprofit land trusts and cave conservancies
to establish a revolving loan fund to defer upfront landowner expenses. Many
otherwise enthusiastic owners forego government sponsored conservation programs
due to a lack of personal financial resources.
Private and government
grants occasionally fund cave gating projects and cave management initiatives on
private lands at little or no cost to the landowner. Landowners in
Landowner donations of
conservation easements can serve to protect cave and karst
resources. Conservation easement donations may generate significant federal tax
deductions. In
Cave Research Foundation on the
Michael Sutton
Route 1,
Scott House
Scott_house@semo.net
A project that began in 1990
with a specific, short-term management need within the Eleven Point District of
the
Rene Ohms
Physical Science Technician
Jewel Cave National Monument
Rene_Ohms@nps.gov
geologic mapping, data management, lint and algae mitigation, formation repair,
rescue stash installment, radon monitoring, water quality monitoring,
exploration, microbe sampling, airflow research, and the completion of the
park’s Cave and Karst Management Plan.
3:20 –
3:40 Tuesday Afternoon
Airflow Research at Jewel Cave National Monument
Dr. Andreas Pflitsch
Ruhr-University Bochum
Department of Geography NA4/171
Cave and Subway Climatology
44780 Bochum / Germany
APflitsch@aol.com
Rene Ohms
Physical Science Technician
Jewel Cave National Monument
11149 U.S. Highway 16 #B12
Custer, SD 57730
Rene_Ohms@nps.gov
Since 2003, German climatologist Dr. Andreas Pflitsch
has been conducting airflow studies in the barometric caves of the Black Hills
of South Dakota. Using sensitive ultrasonic anemometers, Dr. Pflitsch has measured airflow direction, speed, and
temperature at the entrance to
results show some unusual patterns, and present more questions for future
research. The results begin to define the degree to which impacts from visitors
and cave lighting can affect adjacent cave passages. Study results also refine
estimates of the ultimate extent of Jewel and how it relates to other caves in
the southern Black Hills of South Dakota.
Coloring the Truth: The Role of Dye
Tracing in the TMDL Process
Josh Rubinstein
Karst Conservation
Specialist
Division of Natural Heritage
Josh.Rubinstein@dcr.virginia.gov
Wil Orndorff
Karst Protection Coordinator
Division of Natural Heritage
Under the Clean Water Act,
streams exceeding state-established Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) of contaminants are considered impaired, and states
must develop strategies to reduce impairments. TMDLs
and the strategy are determined by the stream’s watershed. While regulatory
agencies may accept that, in karst, the area feeding
the stream may not correspond to the topographic watershed, they are reluctant
to surrender their topographic models. Dye tracing by the Virginia DCR Karst Program illustrates the importance of karst-based models in determining TMDLs.
Mossy Creek is a benthic-impaired
stream that issues from the Mt. Solon Spring. At the request of Virginia Tech
consultants, and as predicted by the local residents, the Karst Program dye
traced Free Mason Run and North River to the spring. Nonetheless, the
consultants decided to model a strategy based on the topographic watershed. The
Karst Program criticized this assumption and the community resisted this model.
Recently, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)
and DCR began remodeling the strategy using the
larger watershed.
As a result of the struggle
over the Mossy Creek, the Karst Program began identifying streams that are
primarily fed by springs. Dye tracing shows the
Presently, we are doing dye
traces in