Post by L Roebuck on Sept 7, 2006 12:33:45 GMT -5
Several take part in cave cleanup - Volunteers labor on Labor Day
By BRAD DICKERSON
Glasgow Daily Times
Volunteers gave their time this Labor Day weekend to help clean up Park Mammoth Resort’s James Cave.
Around 40 participants made their way to the cave Saturday morning. Their task was to remove piles of rotten wood that used to be staircases back when the cave was commercialized in the 1960s and 70s.
Upon a recommendation, tours stopped going through the area that housed a population of endangered Indiana gray bats after the numbers began to dwindle. The rotting staircases, however, posed a problem for those who wanted to go in and monitor the animals.
“The wood’s deteriorated to the point that we can’t access some of the sites that [house] some of the endangered bats that we need to monitor every two years,” Robert Currie, with the cleanup effort, said.
“Charlie Bishop, with the James Cave Mapping Group, took it on as a volunteer project to remove the rotten stairs and walkways leading down to the bat section to James Cave so that we could get in and do.”
Bishop, who has been with the group since 1968, started working with other volunteers on Memorial Day weekend to begin cutting up the rotten wood. Their efforts continued over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“At this moment, there are two huge piles of cut up wood down in the cave,” Bishop said.
The volunteers worked to remove the wood from the cave and dispose of it in a dumpster provided by Scott Waste Management, which was located right outside of the entrance.
This is not the first time work has been done to help the bat population. Between 1992 and 1993, the cave’s gates were replaced with new bat friendly designs. The previous gates restricted airflow into the caves and made the bats susceptible to predators.
“The population has increased and returned to historic levels since the commercial tours have stopped and since a gate that was restricting airflow was replaced in the early 90s,” Currie said. “The population has increased from 50”"
Those helping out this weekend at James Cave reported that they do it for both a love of the cave and the company. Auburn resident Don Davis has been coming to the cave for the last 20 years, citing the adventure and camaraderie as reasons.
Then there is Anmar Mirza, a southern Indiana native whose been exploring the cave for 12 years.
“It’s a beautiful cave system,” he said. "”I think it’s one of the best in the country.”
Bishop was struck by the cave’s difference from others within the region.
“This is a unique cave as compared to the other caves around here,” he said.
“There are 12 miles of cave passage under 10 acres of land, as compared to the other caves around here, which I think the cave density in the area is like 16 miles per square mile on average and the vertical extent here is close to 300 feet.”
No matter their reasons for coming out, the volunteers were all happy to help bring back the bat population to one of the area’s natural attractions.
“I think it’s working pretty well," Mirza said. "We’ve been seeing increases in population pretty much every year. It’s pretty clear that we’re doing something right.”
Full Article
James Cave Restoration Announcement
By BRAD DICKERSON
Glasgow Daily Times
Volunteers gave their time this Labor Day weekend to help clean up Park Mammoth Resort’s James Cave.
Around 40 participants made their way to the cave Saturday morning. Their task was to remove piles of rotten wood that used to be staircases back when the cave was commercialized in the 1960s and 70s.
Upon a recommendation, tours stopped going through the area that housed a population of endangered Indiana gray bats after the numbers began to dwindle. The rotting staircases, however, posed a problem for those who wanted to go in and monitor the animals.
“The wood’s deteriorated to the point that we can’t access some of the sites that [house] some of the endangered bats that we need to monitor every two years,” Robert Currie, with the cleanup effort, said.
“Charlie Bishop, with the James Cave Mapping Group, took it on as a volunteer project to remove the rotten stairs and walkways leading down to the bat section to James Cave so that we could get in and do.”
Bishop, who has been with the group since 1968, started working with other volunteers on Memorial Day weekend to begin cutting up the rotten wood. Their efforts continued over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“At this moment, there are two huge piles of cut up wood down in the cave,” Bishop said.
The volunteers worked to remove the wood from the cave and dispose of it in a dumpster provided by Scott Waste Management, which was located right outside of the entrance.
This is not the first time work has been done to help the bat population. Between 1992 and 1993, the cave’s gates were replaced with new bat friendly designs. The previous gates restricted airflow into the caves and made the bats susceptible to predators.
“The population has increased and returned to historic levels since the commercial tours have stopped and since a gate that was restricting airflow was replaced in the early 90s,” Currie said. “The population has increased from 50”"
Those helping out this weekend at James Cave reported that they do it for both a love of the cave and the company. Auburn resident Don Davis has been coming to the cave for the last 20 years, citing the adventure and camaraderie as reasons.
Then there is Anmar Mirza, a southern Indiana native whose been exploring the cave for 12 years.
“It’s a beautiful cave system,” he said. "”I think it’s one of the best in the country.”
Bishop was struck by the cave’s difference from others within the region.
“This is a unique cave as compared to the other caves around here,” he said.
“There are 12 miles of cave passage under 10 acres of land, as compared to the other caves around here, which I think the cave density in the area is like 16 miles per square mile on average and the vertical extent here is close to 300 feet.”
No matter their reasons for coming out, the volunteers were all happy to help bring back the bat population to one of the area’s natural attractions.
“I think it’s working pretty well," Mirza said. "We’ve been seeing increases in population pretty much every year. It’s pretty clear that we’re doing something right.”
Full Article
James Cave Restoration Announcement