Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jun 30, 2006 7:41:25 GMT -5
Volunteers help remove cave graffiti
Site is among best-known caves in Indiana's Monroe County.
CAROL KUGLER
June 30. 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Buckner Cave, west of Bloomington, one of the better-known caves in Monroe County, is being restored thanks to the volunteer efforts of cavers from across Indiana.
During April, May and June, people gathered to haul equipment through narrow cave entrances and into chambers covered with graffiti.
"It's getting progressively better," said Patti Cummings, local caver and president of the Bloomington Indiana Grotto.
She said people from as far north as Lake County, from southern Indiana and cavers who have visited Buckner through the years have come together to try and restore the cave to a more pristine state.
Sandblasting equipment designed by Arizona caver Ray Keeler to remove graffiti is being used. The equipment, now owned by the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project, is on loan to the Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy, which owns Buckner Cave and the surrounding land. The conservancy, named for the owner of the property, was formed to implement a management plan for the property and its underlying caves.
Dick Blenz first saw a demonstration of the sandblasting equipment in 2003. The conservancy has the equipment on loan for one year and can renew the loan for another year if needed, Cummings said.
"It's a never-ending process, but we've already made a lot of progress with some of the graffiti," Cummings said. The volunteers will meet on scheduled weekends during the summer to remove more graffiti and trash, she said.
Besides trying to restore the cave to more of its natural state, Cummings said the conservancy has made access to the cave more difficult for the thrill-seekers who are likely to damage the karst environment.
Cummings said the conservancy has called police when people trespass at the site. "If they are not willing to follow the rules, they seem to be less likely to follow the safety rules as well," she said.
"Many people don't realize how different caving is from what you see on the television set," Cummings said. "We're not charging admission. This is private property. This is wild caving and it's dangerous."
The Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy controls the private property access to Buckner Cave. People interested in entering the cave can e-mail buckners-request-llistserv.indiana.edu. They can also go to www.caves.org/grotto/big/rbnc/rbnc.htm for more information on the conservancy's policies and basic guidelines. The waiver that must be filled out before anyone can cave on the site is also on the Web site.
Anyone who is interested in helping with the project can e-mail the listserv or contact Dave Everton at (812) 855-7361.
www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060630/News01/606300446/-1/NEWS01/CAT=News01
Bloomington Indiana Grotto
Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy, Inc.
Site is among best-known caves in Indiana's Monroe County.
CAROL KUGLER
June 30. 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Buckner Cave, west of Bloomington, one of the better-known caves in Monroe County, is being restored thanks to the volunteer efforts of cavers from across Indiana.
During April, May and June, people gathered to haul equipment through narrow cave entrances and into chambers covered with graffiti.
"It's getting progressively better," said Patti Cummings, local caver and president of the Bloomington Indiana Grotto.
She said people from as far north as Lake County, from southern Indiana and cavers who have visited Buckner through the years have come together to try and restore the cave to a more pristine state.
Sandblasting equipment designed by Arizona caver Ray Keeler to remove graffiti is being used. The equipment, now owned by the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project, is on loan to the Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy, which owns Buckner Cave and the surrounding land. The conservancy, named for the owner of the property, was formed to implement a management plan for the property and its underlying caves.
Dick Blenz first saw a demonstration of the sandblasting equipment in 2003. The conservancy has the equipment on loan for one year and can renew the loan for another year if needed, Cummings said.
"It's a never-ending process, but we've already made a lot of progress with some of the graffiti," Cummings said. The volunteers will meet on scheduled weekends during the summer to remove more graffiti and trash, she said.
Besides trying to restore the cave to more of its natural state, Cummings said the conservancy has made access to the cave more difficult for the thrill-seekers who are likely to damage the karst environment.
Cummings said the conservancy has called police when people trespass at the site. "If they are not willing to follow the rules, they seem to be less likely to follow the safety rules as well," she said.
"Many people don't realize how different caving is from what you see on the television set," Cummings said. "We're not charging admission. This is private property. This is wild caving and it's dangerous."
The Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy controls the private property access to Buckner Cave. People interested in entering the cave can e-mail buckners-request-llistserv.indiana.edu. They can also go to www.caves.org/grotto/big/rbnc/rbnc.htm for more information on the conservancy's policies and basic guidelines. The waiver that must be filled out before anyone can cave on the site is also on the Web site.
Anyone who is interested in helping with the project can e-mail the listserv or contact Dave Everton at (812) 855-7361.
www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060630/News01/606300446/-1/NEWS01/CAT=News01
Bloomington Indiana Grotto
Richard Blenz Nature Conservancy, Inc.