Post by L Roebuck on Mar 21, 2006 9:51:31 GMT -5
Bloomington Cave vandalized
Arizona officials say they will put a gate on the cave, require permit
By PATRICE ST. GERMAIN
patrices@ad.gannett.com
ST. GEORGE - When Justin Epps crawled down into the Big Room about a month ago, he was dismayed at the site that greeted him and fellow caver Kyle Voyles.
The room, part of the complex that makes up the Bloomington Cave, was littered with beer cans and bottles and a bunch of kids hanging around and drinking.
Just a little over a year ago, a group of caving enthusiasts from nearby states traveled to the Bloomington Cave on weekends for an extensive cleanup operation - hauling out trash and removing graffiti from its fragile walls.
"It was really frustrating," Epps said. Voyles, the Arizona state cave coordinator who also works as a physical science technician with the Bureau of Land Management, called the recent vandalism disheartening.
"We are in the process of doing our management plan and the cave must be protected," Voyles said. "We will be gating the cave and require a permit. It's a free permit, but all of this is a direct correlation with the way people treat the cave."
The Bloomington Cave is unique because it is a tectonic cave and, by far, the largest cave in Southern Utah and northern Arizona. It is also the fourth-longest cave in Utah.
Voyles said an information kiosk will be placed at the site with routes through the cave, safety and conservation information and contact information for the BLM and Washington County Search and Rescue.
While Epps was frustrated over the trashing of the cave, he was also concerned about the lack of safety gear and precautions the group of about 10 teenagers had taken before entering the cave.
Epps, the youth group safety trainer at Timpanogos Cave, said two of the teens were lost in the bottom of the cave and he and Voyles had to lead the two to safety over areas slick with moisture and dangerous drop-offs.
"I think they only had about two flashlights for the whole group," said Epps, who went in with two other experienced cavers, all with full gear. "This was their (the teenagers) first time in the cave. They had no training, no safety equipment and no plan. They were pretty lucky nobody got hurt."
Epps said people exploring the cave need to think about the danger they are putting themselves in and if they get hurt, they aren't only endangering themselves, but the people that will have to go in and make the rescue.
Voyles also points out that the Bloomington cave is listed as a significant cave and is therefore protected under federal cave resource protection and damage or vandalism can be punishable by fines or jail time, depending on the severity.
"There are six criteria for caves to be listed as significant and the Bloomington Cave is listed under three - geological, educational and recreational," he said.
Voyles said the cave is now listed under biological so it counts for four natural resources and is a significant cave from a geological standpoint due to the size.
Up until a few months ago the cave had, for the most part, remained clear of litter and graffiti after the several-months-long cleaning process, Voyles said. The most recent littering case is still under investigation.
"Currently, we have one of our law enforcement rangers on the case," Voyles said. "And the cave is being patrolled more and more by government agencies for that reason."
The Spectrum.com
www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/NEWS01/603210310/1002
Arizona officials say they will put a gate on the cave, require permit
By PATRICE ST. GERMAIN
patrices@ad.gannett.com
Jerel Harris/ The Spectrum
Gene Sturzenegger works his way through a small
crawl space inside a cave located near Bloomington
while cleaning the area of graffiti in this file photo.
crawl space inside a cave located near Bloomington
while cleaning the area of graffiti in this file photo.
ST. GEORGE - When Justin Epps crawled down into the Big Room about a month ago, he was dismayed at the site that greeted him and fellow caver Kyle Voyles.
The room, part of the complex that makes up the Bloomington Cave, was littered with beer cans and bottles and a bunch of kids hanging around and drinking.
Just a little over a year ago, a group of caving enthusiasts from nearby states traveled to the Bloomington Cave on weekends for an extensive cleanup operation - hauling out trash and removing graffiti from its fragile walls.
"It was really frustrating," Epps said. Voyles, the Arizona state cave coordinator who also works as a physical science technician with the Bureau of Land Management, called the recent vandalism disheartening.
"We are in the process of doing our management plan and the cave must be protected," Voyles said. "We will be gating the cave and require a permit. It's a free permit, but all of this is a direct correlation with the way people treat the cave."
The Bloomington Cave is unique because it is a tectonic cave and, by far, the largest cave in Southern Utah and northern Arizona. It is also the fourth-longest cave in Utah.
Voyles said an information kiosk will be placed at the site with routes through the cave, safety and conservation information and contact information for the BLM and Washington County Search and Rescue.
While Epps was frustrated over the trashing of the cave, he was also concerned about the lack of safety gear and precautions the group of about 10 teenagers had taken before entering the cave.
Epps, the youth group safety trainer at Timpanogos Cave, said two of the teens were lost in the bottom of the cave and he and Voyles had to lead the two to safety over areas slick with moisture and dangerous drop-offs.
"I think they only had about two flashlights for the whole group," said Epps, who went in with two other experienced cavers, all with full gear. "This was their (the teenagers) first time in the cave. They had no training, no safety equipment and no plan. They were pretty lucky nobody got hurt."
Epps said people exploring the cave need to think about the danger they are putting themselves in and if they get hurt, they aren't only endangering themselves, but the people that will have to go in and make the rescue.
Voyles also points out that the Bloomington cave is listed as a significant cave and is therefore protected under federal cave resource protection and damage or vandalism can be punishable by fines or jail time, depending on the severity.
"There are six criteria for caves to be listed as significant and the Bloomington Cave is listed under three - geological, educational and recreational," he said.
Voyles said the cave is now listed under biological so it counts for four natural resources and is a significant cave from a geological standpoint due to the size.
Up until a few months ago the cave had, for the most part, remained clear of litter and graffiti after the several-months-long cleaning process, Voyles said. The most recent littering case is still under investigation.
"Currently, we have one of our law enforcement rangers on the case," Voyles said. "And the cave is being patrolled more and more by government agencies for that reason."
The Spectrum.com
www.thespectrum.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060321/NEWS01/603210310/1002
Just maybe it would slow this type of vandelism down a little.