Part 2-Conservation, Management, Ethics: Olson-Digging 259 Section C-I mproving Caver Ethics Digging: An Apparent Contradiction in Conservation Rick Olson

On the surface, it seems inconsistent. The National Speleological Society, dedicated to cave exploration, study, and conservation, has both a Conser- Figure \, Rare gypsum vation and Management Section and a Digging Section. At the annual in the national convention, we have blasting workshops where people learn how Chandelier Ballroom to blow things to bits, and we have restoration workshops where people of learn how to glue busted things back together. have become an icon Could anything be more contradictory? Apparently so, but actually not. for extraordinary cave Digs can ultimately lead to advances in cave conservation. The editors of resources. Had it not this book asked me to explore the conservation issues associated with been for the entrance digging because I am neither a strong opponent nor an adamant proponent excavation, these and of excavating cave entrances or passages. hundreds of other In the process of exploration, documentation, or study, humans can cause remarkable features heavy impacts on cave resources. Accordingly, the National Speleological would remain un- Society (NSS) calls on cavers to leave the cave as they find it. (See the NSS known. Cave Conservation Policy, page 253). In other words, as we move through passages we should minimize impact-we should cave sofily. Does this leave-no-trace philosophy indicate that digging out passages or entrances to allow human entry has only negative consequences for conservation of cave resources? One test of the value of anything is to imagine taking it away, and then evaluate the consequences. lfwe had decided years ago that digging should not be done, then what would the consequences be? What would we lose?

Lechuguilla Cave in Carlsbad Caverns National Park was ultimately entered via an extensive dig (Cahill 1991). Most of the grand finds in Jewel Cave National Monument are beyond a low spot named The Dugway (Cunn and Conn 1977). In Mammoth Cave, the section known as New Discovery could only be accessed after a slab was reduced to rubble, and more recently a trunk passage with undisturbed artifacts left by Native American cavers was found after moving small breakdown (Olson 1999). La Cueva de las Barrancas, a pristine 260 Cave Conservation and Restoration

cave now protected as a scientific laboratory, was discovered because air was sucking noisily into a fist-sized opening and a dig ensued (Hildreth-Werker 2001).

There are many other similar examples, but these are sufficient to make the point. Would we choose not to know about these important finds? Would not knowing serve the best interest of these resources? My answer in both Figure 2. In Barran- cases IS no. cas, a cave protected Recognizing that only virgin cave has a shot at remaining truly pristine, as a laboratory for one possible management alternative is to secure the entrance of a new speleological research, cave without exploring, documenting, or studying it. This might be a valid cavers have decided approach if closing ofTthe entrance would actually protect a cave. But it not to enter Yucca can't. In the long run, simply gating an entrance or keeping it secret cannot Flats. Instead of provide the highest level of protection for . traversing the deep Most caves cannot be protected by secrecy or closure because caves are mud, they are looking vulnerable to the unintended side effects of surface land use and mineral for a less obvious extraction. Except in special circumstances. cave passage locations cannot route to explore the room. La Cueva de las be reliably predicted or remotely sensed. Even if we could determine where Barrancas was cave passages run without physically entering them, we would still be discovered as a fist- totally ignorant of the resources within. sized opening whis- The bottom line is that we cannot begin to manage resources we are un- tling with airflow and aware of, or do not understand. Paradoxically, digging has actually facilitated the entrance was the conservation of some caves even if excavations are controversial. enlarged to allow What can new discoveries do for us? Caves offer tremendous scientific, human access. (See aesthetic, and recreational values. Caves are like libraries. They have dark page 11 of color section.) corridors with their own special smells, and stored within their walls are enormous amounts of information. In caves, we can learn lessons from previous human cultures and we can study life in earlier geologic eras. In caves we can discover previously unknown species and habitats. We may even learn new details about the nature of life itself and how life may exist on other planets. Some may still conclude that it is simply better to leave virgin passages undiscovered. Others will conclude that not exploring is contrary to the human spirit. I conclude that careful, deliberate exploration can lead to advances in cave conservation.

Cited References Cahill T. 1991. Charting the splendors of Lechuguilla Cave. National Geo- graphic 179(3):34-59. Conn H, Conn JE. 1977. The Jewel Cave Adventure: Fifty lvliles of Discovery Under SOl/th Dakota. Teaneck (NJ): Zephyrus Press. p 179. Olsol1 R. 1999. Significant new discover- ies in Mammoth Cave. Memorandum to Mammoth Cave National Park Superin- tendent Ron Switzer. I p. Hildreth- Werker V. 200 I. Jim Werker and the Barrancas story: Vision of a cave laboratory. NSS News 59(3):67-69.