Post by L Roebuck on Jul 2, 2006 8:22:50 GMT -5
TEXAS CAVES
Deep into preservation
Groups take charge in restoring state's neglected underground ecosystem
By MICHAEL RAY TAYLOR
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
SAN ANTONIO - Dale LeBoeuf helped back a trailer loaded with 1 1/2 tons of limestone onto an overgrown vacant lot in a residential neighborhood not far from San Antonio International Airport.
"Fire in the hole!" he yelled as he tossed a 50-pound slab into a 35-foot-deep sinkhole in the middle of the lot.
LeBoeuf, who works for the Houston Fire Department, spent a recent day off with 35 other volunteers toiling in a 2-year-old effort to restore Robber Baron Cave, home to rare species of spiders and insects. The limestone he helped unload was used to build a retaining wall at the entrance to the cave.
Part of the reason for the hard work is a love of caves. But it also is a case of landowners taking care of their property.
The nonprofit Texas Cave Management Association owns and manages Robber Baron Cave and about a dozen others across the state. A second organization, the Texas Cave Conservancy, owns two caves and manages more than 130 owned by various governments, developers and ranchers.
Together, the two nonprofits represent a growing national trend: preserving caves — and access to them — through ownership or management by spelunkers themselves.
Texas has more than 4,000 known caves, according to the nonprofit research group Texas Cave Survey. Increasing surface development has put growing pressure on delicate underground species and the caves that hold them.
Bill Russell has been exploring Texas caves for 50 years, starting in a student club at the University of Texas at Austin in 1956.
"With the level of development we began to see in the 1980s, it was very clear that every caving area in Texas needed a conservancy," Russell said.
Some caves harbor endangered species of bats, insects, salamanders, spiders and other creatures — in some cases, species found nowhere else on Earth. Others contain beautiful formations or challenging vertical pits, both irresistible to cavers but increasingly closed to recreational use by landowners fearful of lawsuits.
Looking to buy
Around Austin and San Antonio, many caves serve as conduits to aquifers, so any threats from overhead development become threats to water supplies. This gives government agencies a vested interest in cave protection. But many such agencies lack the experience or work force to manage the caves long term.
Enter the spelunkers.
Full Story: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4017075.html
Deep into preservation
Groups take charge in restoring state's neglected underground ecosystem
By MICHAEL RAY TAYLOR
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
SAN ANTONIO - Dale LeBoeuf helped back a trailer loaded with 1 1/2 tons of limestone onto an overgrown vacant lot in a residential neighborhood not far from San Antonio International Airport.
"Fire in the hole!" he yelled as he tossed a 50-pound slab into a 35-foot-deep sinkhole in the middle of the lot.
LeBoeuf, who works for the Houston Fire Department, spent a recent day off with 35 other volunteers toiling in a 2-year-old effort to restore Robber Baron Cave, home to rare species of spiders and insects. The limestone he helped unload was used to build a retaining wall at the entrance to the cave.
Part of the reason for the hard work is a love of caves. But it also is a case of landowners taking care of their property.
The nonprofit Texas Cave Management Association owns and manages Robber Baron Cave and about a dozen others across the state. A second organization, the Texas Cave Conservancy, owns two caves and manages more than 130 owned by various governments, developers and ranchers.
Together, the two nonprofits represent a growing national trend: preserving caves — and access to them — through ownership or management by spelunkers themselves.
Texas has more than 4,000 known caves, according to the nonprofit research group Texas Cave Survey. Increasing surface development has put growing pressure on delicate underground species and the caves that hold them.
Bill Russell has been exploring Texas caves for 50 years, starting in a student club at the University of Texas at Austin in 1956.
"With the level of development we began to see in the 1980s, it was very clear that every caving area in Texas needed a conservancy," Russell said.
Some caves harbor endangered species of bats, insects, salamanders, spiders and other creatures — in some cases, species found nowhere else on Earth. Others contain beautiful formations or challenging vertical pits, both irresistible to cavers but increasingly closed to recreational use by landowners fearful of lawsuits.
Looking to buy
Around Austin and San Antonio, many caves serve as conduits to aquifers, so any threats from overhead development become threats to water supplies. This gives government agencies a vested interest in cave protection. But many such agencies lack the experience or work force to manage the caves long term.
Enter the spelunkers.
Full Story: www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4017075.html