Post by L Roebuck on Apr 3, 2006 9:39:12 GMT -5
Unlocking the mysteries of Doling Cave
Tour teaches the public about wildlife and region's past.
Juliana Goodwin
News-Leader
Fossils.
Crustaceans.
Formations.
These are just some of the reasons people are intrigued by caves, said Simon Mahan, nature director of Doling Park's Outdoor Underground Classroom Cave.
"It's a learning area. It's not just rock formations and animals, but the entire ecosystem. They have really fragile ecosystems," Mahan said.
On Sunday, Mahan led people through the the cave at Doling Park, which is usually closed to the public. Private tours can be scheduled throughout the year. Public tours are offered sporadically; the next set are slated for May 7.
"Our cave tours are inexpensive so it's a good way to spend an afternoon. We get people who were here before it was shut to the public who tell stories about how they had their first kiss in the back of the cave," Mahan said.
Tours last less than an hour, and groups of 20 or fewer are allowed in at one time.
James Cornelison waited in line Sunday with his 4-year-old daughter Tatum.
"It's kind of like a mystery," Cornelison said, explaining what attracts him to caves. "It's always educational, which is nice."
Once inside, an early mystery the group encountered was a sprouting walnut tree.
"We're not real sure how a walnut got back here," Mahan said. "Possibly a raccoon or even a human or a flood. It has plenty of soil and water, but not enough light."
Another curious deposit sat on top of waves of a calcium and iron.
What is it? Mahan asked the group.
A few guesses later and the mystery was solved. It's poop, probably from a raccoon, he said.
Mahan called Krystal Workman, 11, over and pointed to the ceiling with his flashlight.
What's that?, he asked her.
"It's a star kind of thingy," Workman said.
It's a starfish fossil, Mahan said.
"This tells us a very long time ago, Missouri, and specifically Springfield, were under the ocean," Mahan said.
Then he pointed out a sleeping bat — which had been sleeping for a week — on the ceiling.
"These bats are very important. Bats can eat 1,000 mosquitoes a night," he said.
Although many people are afraid of bats, mosquitoes are actually the ones that spread diseases. People are more likely to be harmed by a mosquito than a bat, he said.
The bat was the best part, said Cierra Schmoldt, who was visiting the cave with her grandpa.
"I've never seen one, only in pictures," the 8-year-old said. "It was pretty neat."
It impressed Workman, too.
The Bissett student thought bats were black, not brown like the sleeping critter she saw in the cave.
Workman was also impressed with the crawdad Mahan found inside a stream.
"He said it was a boy. I thought it was awesome," Workman said.
Visiting the cave has been on Sandy Culbertson's to-do list for a long time.
"I've wanted to go inside this one for years," the Mount Vernon resident said.
She and her adult son have been in just about every cave in the country over the years, she said.
But she always seemed to miss the public tours at Doling.
Fred Ackley thought it would be a fun way to spend the day before his granddaughter returned to Nixa.
For Madeline Rodgers, it was a trip back in time.
Rodgers told her granddaughter, Krystal Workman, what the park used to be like.
"It was a big amusement park," she said. "Skating, roller coasters, boat rides. It was a fun place back when I was a kid."
The cave was a learning experience for both of them.
"We enjoyed it," Rodgers said.
www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060403/NEWS04/604030358
Tour teaches the public about wildlife and region's past.
Juliana Goodwin
News-Leader
Fossils.
Crustaceans.
Formations.
These are just some of the reasons people are intrigued by caves, said Simon Mahan, nature director of Doling Park's Outdoor Underground Classroom Cave.
"It's a learning area. It's not just rock formations and animals, but the entire ecosystem. They have really fragile ecosystems," Mahan said.
On Sunday, Mahan led people through the the cave at Doling Park, which is usually closed to the public. Private tours can be scheduled throughout the year. Public tours are offered sporadically; the next set are slated for May 7.
"Our cave tours are inexpensive so it's a good way to spend an afternoon. We get people who were here before it was shut to the public who tell stories about how they had their first kiss in the back of the cave," Mahan said.
Tours last less than an hour, and groups of 20 or fewer are allowed in at one time.
James Cornelison waited in line Sunday with his 4-year-old daughter Tatum.
"It's kind of like a mystery," Cornelison said, explaining what attracts him to caves. "It's always educational, which is nice."
Once inside, an early mystery the group encountered was a sprouting walnut tree.
"We're not real sure how a walnut got back here," Mahan said. "Possibly a raccoon or even a human or a flood. It has plenty of soil and water, but not enough light."
Another curious deposit sat on top of waves of a calcium and iron.
What is it? Mahan asked the group.
A few guesses later and the mystery was solved. It's poop, probably from a raccoon, he said.
Mahan called Krystal Workman, 11, over and pointed to the ceiling with his flashlight.
What's that?, he asked her.
"It's a star kind of thingy," Workman said.
It's a starfish fossil, Mahan said.
"This tells us a very long time ago, Missouri, and specifically Springfield, were under the ocean," Mahan said.
Then he pointed out a sleeping bat — which had been sleeping for a week — on the ceiling.
"These bats are very important. Bats can eat 1,000 mosquitoes a night," he said.
Although many people are afraid of bats, mosquitoes are actually the ones that spread diseases. People are more likely to be harmed by a mosquito than a bat, he said.
The bat was the best part, said Cierra Schmoldt, who was visiting the cave with her grandpa.
"I've never seen one, only in pictures," the 8-year-old said. "It was pretty neat."
It impressed Workman, too.
The Bissett student thought bats were black, not brown like the sleeping critter she saw in the cave.
Workman was also impressed with the crawdad Mahan found inside a stream.
"He said it was a boy. I thought it was awesome," Workman said.
Visiting the cave has been on Sandy Culbertson's to-do list for a long time.
"I've wanted to go inside this one for years," the Mount Vernon resident said.
She and her adult son have been in just about every cave in the country over the years, she said.
But she always seemed to miss the public tours at Doling.
Fred Ackley thought it would be a fun way to spend the day before his granddaughter returned to Nixa.
For Madeline Rodgers, it was a trip back in time.
Rodgers told her granddaughter, Krystal Workman, what the park used to be like.
"It was a big amusement park," she said. "Skating, roller coasters, boat rides. It was a fun place back when I was a kid."
The cave was a learning experience for both of them.
"We enjoyed it," Rodgers said.
www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060403/NEWS04/604030358