Post by L Roebuck on Jan 18, 2006 9:14:13 GMT -5
This is it, the event we all have been waiting for! The chance to get ankle deep (or knee deep, or thigh deep…) in bat guano! The chance to get as much free seed-free fertilizer as you can carry! The chance to see the back of Bracken Bat Cave and NOT die of ammonia poisoning! Yes, that's right, it’s the annual GUANO GATHERING!
We will be meeting at Bracken Bat Cave in Comal County (Texas, for those of you reading this from elsewhere) at 10:30 on Sunday, February 5. Entrance is off 3009 (Natural Bridge Caverns Road), about 8 miles from I-35 (exit 175). There will be orange traffic cones on the side of 3009 at the gate. The cave is privately owned, and must be accessed through 2 locked gates. There will be a brass combination lock on each gate with a bat sticker. I'll email the combination to anyone who writes back to tell me they will be there.
What we normally have is about 50-70 cavers, friends, and family. (No dogs, please. We mean it.) Everybody lines up from the surface down to the cave mouth, forming a bucket brigade. We'll have 2-3 people inside the cave filling 5-gallon buckets as fast as people can pass them up the line. Empties are passed back down. There will be another 2-4 people on the surface filling whatever containers people bring: trash cans, trailers, truck beds, etc. When all the containers are filled and no more empty buckets go back in the cave, the remaining buckets are filled and also passed up to the surface to be taken away. This whole process is usually hot and dirty, but takes no more than 2-3 hours. Afterwards, everybody is welcome to tour the cave, so bring a light and a helmet if interested.
There are some important things to keep in mind. Everyone, no exceptions, will have to sign a release form upon entering the property. Everyone, no exceptions, that shows up should be prepared to be a part of the bucket brigade and WORK. We have no space for sightseers. Now the disclaimer. We will be handling dry, powdery GUANO, and there is a slight chance of contracting histoplasmosis if you inhale the fungal spores when breathing guano dust. Bandanas and painter's dust masks can not keep you from breathing in the spores. Only a properly-fitted respirator with a P-100 particulate filter can do so. If you are worried, either wear the right equipment or don't come. I won't be wearing a mask, and in the 8 or 9 times we have held this event, no one has contracted histo from not wearing a mask. But don't say you weren't warned. End of disclaimer. Also, I only want to see FIVE-GALLON plastic buckets. No square kitty-litter buckets, no 3-gallon detergent buckets, just 5-gallon buckets. It makes it so-o-o-o much easier to pass buckets back down the line when we can stack them. I'll have several shovels in the cave, mostly for scraping up the loose guano into deep piles so we can just scoop it up with the bucket. So don't bring any tools like that. Also, if you are planning to transport the guano back home in a truck bed or trailer or the trunk of your car, let me remind you again that the guano is dry and powdery and is easily airborne. Trailers and truck beds need to be lined with a tarp or something so the guano doesn't sift out, and also covered so it doesn't blow away. And if it is in your car and leaks out anywhere, your car is going to stink for a long time. Buckets and trashcans with lids are the best way to go, but heavy-duty (contractor grade, not yard grade) trash bags will work in a pinch if not filled very far. FINALLY, be sure to bring some water and wet wipes to clean yourself up, a change of clothes and shoes, and a trash bag for your dirty clothes. Some of us will likely stop for the traditional late lunch at Capparelli's on the way home.
So let's hope the weather holds, and we see LOTS of people with buckets. Bring non-caver friends if they are interested. More people on the line makes the work easier and faster. It's a good time and a lot of fun. Really! Last year we brought out somewhat over two tons of guano that is now fertilizing flowerbeds, fruit trees, lawns, vegetable gardens, and other crops across Texas.
Please pass this along to others at grotto meetings and caver functions.
Guano Ho!
-- Crash
We will be meeting at Bracken Bat Cave in Comal County (Texas, for those of you reading this from elsewhere) at 10:30 on Sunday, February 5. Entrance is off 3009 (Natural Bridge Caverns Road), about 8 miles from I-35 (exit 175). There will be orange traffic cones on the side of 3009 at the gate. The cave is privately owned, and must be accessed through 2 locked gates. There will be a brass combination lock on each gate with a bat sticker. I'll email the combination to anyone who writes back to tell me they will be there.
What we normally have is about 50-70 cavers, friends, and family. (No dogs, please. We mean it.) Everybody lines up from the surface down to the cave mouth, forming a bucket brigade. We'll have 2-3 people inside the cave filling 5-gallon buckets as fast as people can pass them up the line. Empties are passed back down. There will be another 2-4 people on the surface filling whatever containers people bring: trash cans, trailers, truck beds, etc. When all the containers are filled and no more empty buckets go back in the cave, the remaining buckets are filled and also passed up to the surface to be taken away. This whole process is usually hot and dirty, but takes no more than 2-3 hours. Afterwards, everybody is welcome to tour the cave, so bring a light and a helmet if interested.
There are some important things to keep in mind. Everyone, no exceptions, will have to sign a release form upon entering the property. Everyone, no exceptions, that shows up should be prepared to be a part of the bucket brigade and WORK. We have no space for sightseers. Now the disclaimer. We will be handling dry, powdery GUANO, and there is a slight chance of contracting histoplasmosis if you inhale the fungal spores when breathing guano dust. Bandanas and painter's dust masks can not keep you from breathing in the spores. Only a properly-fitted respirator with a P-100 particulate filter can do so. If you are worried, either wear the right equipment or don't come. I won't be wearing a mask, and in the 8 or 9 times we have held this event, no one has contracted histo from not wearing a mask. But don't say you weren't warned. End of disclaimer. Also, I only want to see FIVE-GALLON plastic buckets. No square kitty-litter buckets, no 3-gallon detergent buckets, just 5-gallon buckets. It makes it so-o-o-o much easier to pass buckets back down the line when we can stack them. I'll have several shovels in the cave, mostly for scraping up the loose guano into deep piles so we can just scoop it up with the bucket. So don't bring any tools like that. Also, if you are planning to transport the guano back home in a truck bed or trailer or the trunk of your car, let me remind you again that the guano is dry and powdery and is easily airborne. Trailers and truck beds need to be lined with a tarp or something so the guano doesn't sift out, and also covered so it doesn't blow away. And if it is in your car and leaks out anywhere, your car is going to stink for a long time. Buckets and trashcans with lids are the best way to go, but heavy-duty (contractor grade, not yard grade) trash bags will work in a pinch if not filled very far. FINALLY, be sure to bring some water and wet wipes to clean yourself up, a change of clothes and shoes, and a trash bag for your dirty clothes. Some of us will likely stop for the traditional late lunch at Capparelli's on the way home.
So let's hope the weather holds, and we see LOTS of people with buckets. Bring non-caver friends if they are interested. More people on the line makes the work easier and faster. It's a good time and a lot of fun. Really! Last year we brought out somewhat over two tons of guano that is now fertilizing flowerbeds, fruit trees, lawns, vegetable gardens, and other crops across Texas.
Please pass this along to others at grotto meetings and caver functions.
Guano Ho!
-- Crash