Post by L Roebuck on Sept 13, 2007 7:06:44 GMT -5
Students clean up cave graffiti
Natural Resources Club goes spelunking, promotes organization
Lindsay Puthoff, DNOnline
Nine members of Ball State University's Natural Resources Club got into a tight squeeze on Saturday.
Spelunking through Buckner Cave near Bloomington, Ind., altered the perspectives of some club members.
"Until you're placed between a rock and a hard place, you don't have the respect for the underground world," Natural Resource Club President Lisa Nicklas said.
Spelunking is defined as any venture into a cave for recreation, she said.
The members worked with the Graffiti Removal Project that uses sandblasters to remove spray-painted graffiti from the cave's ancient walls, a first for the club.
The cave's first signature dates to 1776, when a scout for the Revolutionary Army left his mark.
However, years of heavy partying within the caves left the inside covered in spray paint, trash and even feces.
"It's sad," Vice President Katrina McKinley said. "One thousand years of work ruined in one second."
Private resident Dick Blenz purchased the cave in 2003 and began to more heavily regulate unauthorized entrance.
A gate installed near the cave entrance deters unwelcome partiers and bears a sign detailing how to legally gain access.
According to the Buckner Cave Web site, Blenz borrowed sandblasting equipment from the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project in Arizona to replace hand-scrubbing techniques.
DNOnline
Natural Resources Club goes spelunking, promotes organization
Lindsay Puthoff, DNOnline
Nine members of Ball State University's Natural Resources Club got into a tight squeeze on Saturday.
Spelunking through Buckner Cave near Bloomington, Ind., altered the perspectives of some club members.
"Until you're placed between a rock and a hard place, you don't have the respect for the underground world," Natural Resource Club President Lisa Nicklas said.
Spelunking is defined as any venture into a cave for recreation, she said.
The members worked with the Graffiti Removal Project that uses sandblasters to remove spray-painted graffiti from the cave's ancient walls, a first for the club.
The cave's first signature dates to 1776, when a scout for the Revolutionary Army left his mark.
However, years of heavy partying within the caves left the inside covered in spray paint, trash and even feces.
"It's sad," Vice President Katrina McKinley said. "One thousand years of work ruined in one second."
Private resident Dick Blenz purchased the cave in 2003 and began to more heavily regulate unauthorized entrance.
A gate installed near the cave entrance deters unwelcome partiers and bears a sign detailing how to legally gain access.
According to the Buckner Cave Web site, Blenz borrowed sandblasting equipment from the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project in Arizona to replace hand-scrubbing techniques.
DNOnline