Califronia Underground, Cave Conservation

Caves are among the rarest and most spectacular features of the California landscape. Buried deep underground, many are spared the natural ravages of wind, rain, and trampling. In these protected environments spectacular crystalline formations grow over thousands of years.

Hard as we may try, it is nearly impossible to enter a cave without leaving some trace of your presence. But caving with care can minimize impact to an acceptable level. Beyond that, people who really care for the caves work to reverse the damage done by others.

First You See It, Then You Don't Many spectacular cave formations have been irreparably vandalized or stolen. In some cases, entire caves have been stripped of their stalactites and other formations.

Leave Nothing But Footprints Vandalism can include what you leave behind. Neither graffiti nor trash is appropriate in a cave. Additionally, drinking in a cave further endangers both the cave and the partying visitors.

Share The Cave With All Who Live There Animals living in caves need an extra measure of caution and respect. Bats, in particular, require your care. Waking up a hibernating bat uses up its fat reserves and can cause starvation before its prey species return in the spring. Maternity colonies are similarly vulnerable as the young can be dropped.

Even Footprints Can Be A Problem
Moving through a cave, hands and feet get muddy; walking on or touching formations leaves mud that builds up over time, and can stain the formation forever.

Many Cavers Help Out With Cave Cleanups
The Park Service, cave owners, the NSS, and others organize cave cleanups. Often these trips are the only way to see beautiful passages that are otherwise closed to visitation.

A Successful Cleanup
The formation could not be completely cleaned because some mud was crystallized into the formation. Still, it was well worth the effort.

Effort and Epoxy Can Work Wonders
This stalagmite was broken, but fortunately the pieces were left behind. Cavers were able to reassemble the formation, which otherwise would have regrown, at best, no faster than one inch per century.

Forbidden Pleasures
Sometimes caves can contain treasures of such fragile and rare beauty that caves are closed to all access until a way can be found to both protect the cave and allow access.

From the National Speleological Society Conservation Policy

Caves have unique scientific, recreational, and scenic values…these values are endangered by both carelessness and intentional vandalism…these values, once gone, cannot be recovered…the responsibility for protecting caves must be assumed by all those who study and enjoy them.

All contents of a cave – formations, life, and loose deposits – are significant for their enjoyment and interpretation.

The collecting of mineral or biological material for display purposes, including previously broken or dead specimens, is never justified, as it encourages others to collect and destroys the interest of the cave.

It is the duty of every (caver) to take personal responsibility for spreading a consciousness of the cave conservation problem to each potential user of caves. Without this, the beauty and value of our caves will not long remain with us.