Monday morning
9:00 am to 11:30 am
Coordinated by Val
Hildreth-Werker & Jim C. Werker
Moderated by Jim, Val,
George Huppert or Rod Horrocks
From prevention of cave damage to repair of formations … from preservation of microbial communities and chemical/mineral research sites to restoration techniques and inventory systems, workshop presenters will encourage participant interaction and discourse. New results from low-impact strategies in restoration and speleothem repair will be presented.
9:00 – 9:20
Cleaning Up Wind Cave
Marc Ohms
Assistant Cave Specialist, Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
Tour operations in Wind Cave National Park have been ongoing for over 100 years. There are five tour routes totaling over 1.5 miles of cave passage with an average visitation of 80,000 per year. A century of use has created thick lint and trail dust accumulations in addition to various impacts from trail building and modifications. These impacts affect the cave ecosystem, natural airflow, and scenic beauty of the cave. Restoration in Wind Cave is an ongoing effort in removing lint and dust, asphalt from a previous trail, and blasting/trail debris, as well as cleaning formations. The cave management staff’s goal is to restore these sections of cave to as natural a state as possible.
9:20 – 9:40
National Park Service, Lava Beds National Monument, Tule Lake, CA 96134
The first formal resource inventories at Wind Cave began in the mid-1980s with no established protocols, which produced a wide variety of data at varying scales of complexity. The first standardized procedures were developed in 1985, and revised in 1987. In 1990 a new cave inventory system was developed, using custom-designed datasheets to guide data collection. Data was processed using custom-built databases, which allowed cave management staff to better understand the resource, and with the use of software such as AutoCAD and SMAPS-GIS, determine interesting spatial relationships.
In the spring of 1999, the inventory process was again revised with a re-designed datasheet and with slight modifications to the amount and nature of the data collected. The data was stockpiled, as the database system (dBase III) had become obsolete, creating a large backlog of data entry. In the fall of 2000, a new, user-friendly database was built in Access, allowing intuitive data entry, as well as the ability to create complex queries. This data is being used in concert with the survey data for GIS modeling, and offers yet another step in understanding the varied resources of Wind Cave.
9:40 – 10:00
Rock Cairns: Problems with
the Expanding Little People of Snedegar’sCave
Roy A. Jameson
Department of Chemistry, Physics and Geology, Winthrop University,
Rock Hill, South Carolina 29733
Rock cairns known as the
Little People have been erected by cavers on a ledge in Snedegar’s Cave in West
Virginia since at least the mid 1970s. In recent years the ledge filled. Cavers
began erecting cairns in the stream passage and on banks across from the
original ledge. Some cairns have been erected as tall as 8-10 ft high, using
hundreds of rocks. Some new cairns are hundreds of feet away from the original
ledge. What originally could be passed of as a minor but cute aberration
affecting little is no longer tolerable. Important research sites on the chemistry
of condensation waters have been destroyed when cavers removed rocks containing
mineral crusts upon which high-nitrate solutions appear during the summer
condensation season. Other rocks with clay vermiculations have also been displaced.
Those wishing to take photographs of the natural cave passage unencumbered by
scattered unnatural piles of rocks have been inconvenienced. We need to remember that
everything we do in a cave has consequences, often unforeseen. The disturbances
we create may interfere with cave aesthetics, cave organisms, or the study the
cave’s natural environment at some future time.
10:00 – 10:20
NSS Conservation Co-Chairs, PO Box 1018, Tijeras, NM 87059(505) 286-0148 werks@att.net
Low-impact restoration strategies were used to restore
Pellucidar, a semi-pristine passage of Lechuguilla Cave. Pearls, pools, and
flowstone surfaces tracked with mud and corrosion residue from boots were
cleaned. Impacted areas, techniques used to remediate, and results are
illustrated. The six-day restoration expedition required tools that were small
and lightweight, but sturdy and efficient. Silt was cleaned out of pools with a
vacuum pump that filtered and re-circulated water back into the original
source. More than fifty square feet (4 m2 ) of
mud-tracked pearl beds were restored. Some of the effort required vertical rope
work to reach restoration sites. Flowstone was mopped, embedded corrosion
residue was scrubbed, and grit was removed.
10:20 to 10:50
Cave Restoration and Conservation: Topics, Methods, and Discussion Jim C. Werker & Val Hildreth-Werker NSS Conservation Co-Chairs, PO Box 1018, Tijeras, NM 87059(505) 286-0148 werks@att.net
An interactive format for discussing methods and concerns will summarize issues and stimulate discourse. We are actively identifying strategies to lessen caver impact, preserve natural features, avoid contamination, and minimize disturbance of cave biota. Methods will be presented for trail marking, erasing footprints, cave-safe graffiti removal, speleothem cleaning, and gypsum cleaning. Ample time will be allowed for questions and open discussion. Minimum-impact ethics used in different parts of the country will be emphasized for various types of cave systems. During the year 2001, the NSS will publish a new book, Cave Conservation & Restoration—Val Hildreth-Werker and Jim Werker are editing work from NSS contributors for this handbook.
Elizabeth Rousseau-Bunnell
Webmistress & Communication Coordinator
The Conservation Division Website can now be accessed directly from the NSS Home Page www.caves.org We will introduce the website and initiate interactive discussion on ideas for making the site useful to cavers, informative for non-cavers, and dynamic for all visitors. At this session, we will be seeking input for text and links.
11:00 – 11:10
NSS Conservation Co-Chairs, PO Box 1018, Tijeras, NM 87059(505) 286-0148 werks@att.net
Jim B. Miller
Dispersed Recreation Program Manager,
USDA Forest Service,
Washington, D.C.
A system for calculating Volunteer Value (VV) grew from opposition to Cave Fee Demo. Coordination between the USDA Forest Service and the NSS has produced a VV agreement based on government rates. Generic forms have been created for documenting volunteer time contributed to any project—forms can be used for recording efforts in survey, science, conservation, photography, etc. Though the VV recording system was created as an adjunct to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Forest Service and the NSS, the system can be applied to volunteer efforts in caves managed by other federal agencies, states, conservancies, or private owners. We encourage cavers to begin using this system to document monetary values of work and expertise.
11:10-11:30
Formation Repair: Cave-safe Materials and Techniques Jim C. Werker NSS Conservation Co-Chair
PO Box 1018, Tijeras, NM 87059jcwerke@sandia.gov
During this workshop, slide sequences will give updated information on methods and materials for cave-safe formation repair. Proven techniques for repairing and reconstructing stalagmites, stalactites, draperies, rimstone dams, gypsum crust, soda straws, helictites, etc. will be discussed. Technical information on epoxies, stainless steel pins, and other materials will be covered. Time will be allowed for questions, interaction, and discussion of new methods used by cavers across the country. Information packets will be available on request.
Monday noon
11:30 am to 1:30 pm (yes, two hours ... we have a lot to cover this year)
Monday afternoon
1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Cave Wilderness
Panel Discussion: What Might It Be & Would We Want It? Patricia E. Seiser
West Virginia University
Cave wilderness (underground wilderness) designation has been unsuccessfully sought for almost forty years. The Lechuguilla Cave Protection Act of 1993provided specific protection for one cave. The 1988 Federal Cave Resources Protection Act placed caves on the management agenda of federal agencies. Neither act addressed special designation for caves, whether in the form of wilderness or another form of designation. Cave wilderness designation raises many questions. What are we trying to accomplish - recognition, protection, both? Will wilderness designation help us obtain those goals? Discussion will start with a ten-minute overview of work covering recent discussions and research into cave wilderness. Questions from participants will springboard discussion. What is Cave Wilderness? Why do we want it(or do we)? Do we need it? What will it accomplish? How will it address surface activities? Are we limited to the 1964 definition of wilderness? How do we address access issues? What about use of paid guides/commercial outfitters? Can we refine the wilderness concept so that it provides recognition and protection for caves? This is a complex issue, a better understanding of the problems and promises of wilderness designation, as well as the caving community’s expectations will help those responsible for the stewardship of caves. In the long run it may lead to federal legislation that will achieve what we really want and not what we think we want.
2:30 – 3:00
National Cave
and Karst Research Institute—Focusing Research
Zelda Chapman Bailey
National Park Service, 7333 W. Jefferson Ave., PO Box 25287, Denver CO 80225
The National Cave and Karst Research Institute Act of 1998 mandated the National Park Service to establish the Institute. The Act stipulated that the Institute will be located in the vicinity of Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico (but not inside Park boundaries), and that the Institute cannot spend Federal funds without a match of private funds. The Interim Director for the Institute reported in July 2000 for a two-year period to define the purview and scope of operation, design an organizational structure, form partnerships, find funding sources, find a physical facility, and define research needs.
The mission provides a framework for the Institute to achieve its congressionally defined goals and to guide development of an appropriate scope of activities in the National interest:
The National
Cave and Karst Research Institute furthers the science of speleology by
facilitating research, enhances public education, and promotes environmentally
sound cave and karst management.
The goals (purposes) of the Institute are clearly and
simply stated in the text of the 1998 Act. Following are expanded statements of
goals that provide a broader view of the operational intent of the Institute:
· Further the science of speleology through coordination and facilitation of research.
· Provide a point-of-contact for dealing with cave and karst issues by providing analysis and synthesis of speleological information and serving as a repository of information.
· Foster partnerships and cooperation in cave and karst research, education, and management programs.
· Promote and conduct cave and karst educational programs.
· Promote national and international cooperation in protecting the environment for the benefit of caves and karst landforms and systems.
· Develop and promote environmentally sound and sustainable cave and karst management practices, and provide information for applying these practices.
The Institute can provide a national scope and overarching goals to cave and karst research. Research needs will be compiled through discussions with a variety of interest groups, scientists, and resource managers. Focus groups may be hosted at national professional meetings to provide a forum for input into the research needs. Ideas for research needs are being accumulated through informal and formal discussions with interested groups and individuals, scientists, and resource managers. As a list grows, groupings of general research areas should emerge, which would form the basis for articulating national research needs. The U.S. Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Workshop (February 2001) provided one of the opportunities to discuss research needs and add to the growing list. The National Speleological Society Convention provides another important venue for discussing research needs.
3:00–3:10
3:10–3:30
(John Ganter will not be able to attend
Convention. Unless the Convention staff has assigned time slots or moved the
other presentations forward, we will conduct a discussion on media during this
time frame. Please check the Program Guide when you arrive at Convention.)
Extreme Sports, Inc. – Are
Caves the Next Venue?
John Ganter1408 Valencia NE
Albuquerque NM 87110jganter@sandia.gov
Traditionally, the organized caving community has tightly linked information about specific caves and caving techniques with conservation behaviors and beliefs. In the last decade, this linkage has weakened significantly. Caves and caving are increasingly portrayed in mass media. A small subset of cavers have facilitated this exposure for reasons of fame, money, and/or convictions that broad public education will ultimately benefit caves. There has been significant educational benefit. But unintended consequences are now emerging. Mass media tends to be visually memorable, functioning like commercial advertising. Some small fraction of viewers may be left with long-term interest in caving as an activity. Conservation messages, which tend to be negative (shall not) and behavioral, may recede into the background. This latent demand for caving activity without caving apprenticeship has not escaped the notice of outfitting and extreme sports purveyors. The extreme sports business combines real and simulated adventure with intense, evangelical advertising. The purveyors seem diametrically opposed to traditional outdoor outfitters, who often see themselves as responsible for instilling deep conservation beliefs in clients. In extreme sports, risks to participants and ecosystems are hidden, amplified, and distorted in all directions. With a critical mass of public interest, the spotlight may be turned to caves. Cavers may have little or no chance to guide and dissuade. I will show and discuss several examples of extreme sports marketing of caves, and speculate on the impacts this trend may have on caves, cave owners and managers, and the caving community
3:30 – 3:50
Spill Retention and
Runoff Filtration Structure Negotiations for Interstate 65 in the Vicinity of
Mammoth Cave National Park
Division of Science and Resources Management, Mammoth Cave National Park,
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky 42259
In the early 1970s, I conducted an ecological study on the Doghill-Donahue Cave System in Southern Indiana. This cave remained relatively unimpacted until Highway 37 was widened near Bedford, and the cave was engineered to be a storm sewer for highway runoff. The consequences of facilitated water entry and easy access for spelunkers via an ungated artificial entrance were severe. Anticipating that I-65 would someday be widened, I was concerned about possible consequences to cave communities in the Mammoth Cave area.
In December of 1994, following a meeting with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KTC) staff, I supported a letter from our Park Superintendent to the KTC. It outlined ecological justifications for retention and filtration structures designed to mitigate pollution from I-65. All was quiet for a couple of years. Hearing of plans to widen I-65, I invited KTC staff and Senior Ecologist Jim Keith of Earth Tech Environmental Consulting in Bloomington, Indiana to Mammoth Cave National Park (MCNP) for discussions on runoff mitigation structures in May of 1997. To build support for highway runoff retention structures, I nominated the South-Central Kentucky Karst for inclusion on the Karst Waters Institute’s global list of the “Ten Most Endangered Karst Communities for 1998.”
In June of 1998, I organized a meeting with KTC and Federal Highway Administration staff at MCNP. Agreed upon were basic measures to filter routine runoff and temporarily contain major spills. These will be low crushed rock check dams originally built as silt checks needed during construction. Basin capacity will be 10,000 gallons with grass waterways to and through retention basins underlain with geotextile fabric to minimize soil piping. The basins are designed to slowly filter routine runoff while greatly retarding spill entry into the cave aquatic ecosystem. Highway plans showing the retention/filtration structures will be shown as part of the presentation.
3:50 – 4:10
Center for Cave and Karst Studies, Applied Research and Technology Program of Distinction, Department of Geography and Geology, Western Kentucky University,
Bowling Green, Kentucky caveandkarst@wku.edu
The proposed Kentucky Trimodal Transpark is to be built on 4,000 acres adjacent to the northern boundary of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The proposed project is an attempt to attract high tech commercial and industrial firms to locate in south central Kentucky by constructing a commercial/industrial park with easy access to highway, railroad and eventually, air transportation. This paper will discuss the potential environmental problems associated with building the Transpark upon karst terrain. Can it be done, should it be done, and what steps can be taken to reduce potential adverse impacts on the karst aquifer, and on Graham Springs, a very large spring that flows into the Barren River at Bowling Green? Potential adverse impacts on Mammoth Cave National Park by the Transpark and by other urban development in the area will be considered. The paper will also discuss the widening of north-south Interstate 65, now in progress, from two lanes to three lanes and the proposed east-west route for Interstate 66. These two major transcontinental highways will cross within the headwaters of Turnhole Bend Spring, the largest spring in Mammoth Cave National Park. This major intersection will create an economic focal point that will greatly influence development within the headwaters of the Park.
3:50 – 4:10
7733 Inversham Drive # 167, Falls Church, VA 22042
In the international arena, I have located what I consider the ultimate single gateway accessing national and international environmental law. ECOLEX (www.ecolex.org), or the International Union of Conservation Council’s Environmental Law Information System (ELIS), is linked to the United Nations Environmental Programme’s Computerized Environmental Law Information Base (CELIB). The presentation will discuss what is available on ECOLEX and other international environmental law sites.
On this site you are able to search over 19,000 informational sources on National Legislation and 34,000 documents on laws and policy literature, using subject area, keyword, country (jurisdiction) and/or date. The list of subjects includes information on multilateral treaties, national legislation, European Union instruments, international “soft law” and related declarations and resolutions, law and policy literature and judicial decisions. These cover legislation from 480 countries and territories around the world; and, in the case of decentralized States, legal instruments from state or regional levels. Cross-references to related legislation and conventions are also indexed. In some cases the entire text can be reviewed, in others the reference is listed.
Other good sources for researching environmental law for specific subjects are found at www.ecolex.org or in the Pace Virtual Environmental Law Library at www.law.pace.edu/env/vell6.html
Last year I presented a paper entitled, “A Summary of
Legislation andOrganizations Involved in the Preservation of Caves and Bats”,
which was published on the NSS Conservation and Management Website www.caves.org/section/ccms (This site has been recently updated to include
the new Maine Cave Protection Act.)
Protection of Wadi Sannur
Cavern, Eastern Desert of Egypt
William R. Halliday
Wadi Sannur Cavern is a unique, deep-lying karstic feature curving partway around a high-quality deposit of calcareous ornamental stone known as “Egyptian alabaster”. It is located in a remote, impoverished section of Egypt where quarrying of this stone is a major economic factor. The cave was opened accidentally by blasting at the bottom of a deep open-pit quarry. Its scientific and economic importance (as a show cave) was realized quickly. Quarrying at this site was halted and the Wadi Sannur Protected Area was designated to protect it. Followup languished, however, and a vigorous local effort to reopen the quarry currently threatens the existence of the cave. The origin of the ornamental stone is a debated topic. In any event, the cave is an integral part of the deposit, and management of the cave and the deposit must be considered jointly. If this “Egyptian alabaster” is confirmed as a remarkable thermal spring deposit, the complex should be nominated for World Heritage Site status. Conservation through development appears to be the best way to protect the site, but serious obstacles must be overcome.