Cave Preservation, Secrecy, and Organized Caving

Chris D

When I went to Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico, cavers from around the world said, "Oh, sure I know, there aren't any caves in Arizona." Cave secrecy in Arizona is legendary and it began as a way to protect caves. There are not as many caves in Arizona as there are in some cave rich areas of the country. We do have many beautifully decorated caves that would be show caves anywhere. We also have many that WERE great caves- but are heavily trampled or even trashed now.

In the past, cavers in Arizona, having seen some caves getting trashed by too much use, just kept their mouths shut about the locations or even the existence of some caves. They might have taken a few of their closest caving buddies but that is it. This is a very effective form of cave preservation. If few people know where it is, then few people will go there and little damage will occur. This is the only reason I keep cave locations secret. It is not a game of, "I know something you do not know."

I do not mean to offend. It is just a matter of keeping traffic down in caves. I am sure you know of plenty that I do not.

Unfortunately as caver numbers grew it was just a matter of time before some got their feelings hurt. Soon caves became the pieces in games played by competing groups. Cave secrecy took on the new dimension of Us vs. Them. Arizona cave politics was born.

Organized caving brings a bunch of people together to go caving. It only makes sense that information given to the grotto membership at large will generate much more traffic. This is one of the problems I have had with joining a grotto myself. The grotto membership needs to be aware of cave conservation issues such as Chris' Glory Hole Cave needs a gate to protect the zillion dollars worth of Indian artifacts. But how do I know that somebody at the meeting is not going to tell their buddy the pot hunter? I do not know all of you and you do not all know me. Think of how you would feel if you told me about your favorite cave then the next weekend I took a bunch of my buddies there. Then the next weekend one of them came back with his buddies and so on until the next time you visit the place is smeared with mud and the section with all the cool bent soda

 straws is trashed? Some things are just better if kept private. It would probably diminish your experience if every time you hopped in the sack with your spouse I showed up with three of my friends to play too. Just like sex in the 90's it is not only important who you are caving with but who else they cave with that matters.

Two things that cave conservation does not need are politics and egos. The worst case in my experience is the story about the gate placed on Crucifixion Cave in the Coconino National Forest. The gate was proposed to protect a bat colony from disturbance during critical periods. It was built and paid for by many people entirely uninvolved in cave politics. Nobody wanted to restrict caving to select people or insult anyone. The Forest Service had policy in place for recreational caving during times when caving would not disturb the bats. Instead of supporting the action and volunteering to help- many cavers took offense, including many members of NSS grottoes. Cavers attacked the Forest Service and the individuals involved in putting in the gate. Soon vandals, whom the Forest Service believes were grotto cavers, removed the gate. The first encounter with cave politics for the Coconino National Forest has given us all a black eye.

Sometimes I wonder what the organized (NSS grotto) caving community really thinks cave conservation means. I was briefly involved with grotto caving in the past until I was attacked, threatened, and run out of the grotto for acts I committed in the name of cave conservation. You may ask, "What acts of conservation could be so heinous as to warrant this type of reaction?" Well, I verbally supported putting the gate on Crucifixion Cave. I also placed a visitor register and some flagging tape to keep people off of some fragile areas in another cave that we (grotto cavers) had recently dug open.

As you might imagine from these early experiences I had a bad impression about what caving grottoes were all about. I realize now that not all cavers or grottoes act like this.  I have continued many other conservation related activities like: mapping, photo monitoring, bat monitoring, writing cave management proposals, placing trail markers in caves, documenting historic and prehistoric relics, consulting with the Forest Service about impacts their activities might have on caves, discovering new caves, and even teaching children and adults about caving for the Museum of Northern Arizona. All accomplished as an independent caver with a few close friends and the blessings of the land management agencies.

The NAG has the opportunity to start out fresh with the Forest Service and has done a great job establishing good relations and good will with them and the National Park Service. The most important parts of this relationship are honesty and communication. We need to be truthful with the Forest Service about our activities. We need to cooperate with them rather than assume an adversarial position.   They need us to help them evaluate and manage their resources and by doing so we will help our own position as users of the land.

Those of us (and I am one of the biggest culprits in NAG) who are very   secretive   about   cav^ locations are going to have to trust the land managers and each other more. Trust will come with familiarity. We need to get to know each other better. Get together to share stories and ideas. It would be great if we all agreed on what is right in caving but compromise will be in order on all sides. I will admit that I hope to get everybody to agree with me because I think my beliefs are right but I am open to new ideas, discussion, and change too, if I feel it is in the best interest of the caves. So far it seems that we are all on the same page.

I am back in organized caving now with the NAG for two reasons. First, I felt like I had to get involved because I have a strong sense of responsibility to northern Arizona caves, Second, once I got to know some of the people involved and the reasons for forming the grotto I liked what I saw. The NAG gang seems like a good bunch of folks to me. I joined the grotto and that is a big change for me. Secrecy will be harder but as we get to know each other you will realize that you can tell ME everything.

I do not even go caving anymore, ^s^"

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