Lincoln National Forest Cave Program Public Meeting September 2011

Welcome to the Cave Program Beneath the surface of the Guadalupe Mountains are some of the most unique cave resources in the world. Lincoln National Forest strives to provide wild caving experiences for the public in a remote setting while conserving cave resources for the future. This public meeting is an opportunity for you to have input into the development of the Cave Program Topics: White Nose Syndrome Targeted Cave Closures Trip Leader Policy Cave Keys Cave Inventory Volunteer Opportunities Other Topics

White Nose Syndrome People entering caves are required to follow decontamination procedures. How can Lincoln National Forest prove that people who enter caves are following the decontamination procedures before they enter? Sign a WNS Agreement Photo of decontamination setup White Nose Syndrome Information http://www.caves.org/region/swr/links.html

Targeted Cave Closures Lincoln National Forest cannot issue recreational permits for caves that have a significant bat population Following WNS Interagency Response Plan for NM Cottonwood Cave is one of the closures Targeted Cave Closures are temporary, but will continue for 1+ years Caves Open With Cave Permit Black Cave Little Beauty Cave Red Lake Cave Pink Panther Cave Pink Dragon Cave Hell Below Cave Caves Considered for Permitting Three Fingers Cave Virgin Cave

public, and promotes easy access caving for the public? Trip Leader Policy What Trip Leader policy best combines safety for cave resources, safety for the public, and promotes easy access caving for the public? 3 levels of Trip Leader Increase number of caves that require a Basic Trip Leader Use Trip Leader Sign-off sheet Enforce penalties to Trip Leaders and Trainer

How should Lincoln National Forest ensure that keys are returned? Cave Keys How should Lincoln National Forest ensure that keys are returned? All keys and permits should be turned in before leaving the Forest boundary Enforce a penalty to people who do not return keys

Cave Inventory What is the best way to document and inventory what is in each cave? Inventory sheet that allows specific notes to be recorded Inventory database that converts to GIS map Inventory database that has error correction Station Notes AP24 BF CG GC GF AP25 / MM CG: appears to be endolite AP26 CS AP27 FO SF FO: coral or sea fan GC = Gypsum Crust FO = Fossil SF = Sponge Fossil CS = Calcified Sediment BF = Bedrock floor CG = Clay, Green MM = Moonmilk GF = Gypsum Flower

Volunteer Opportunities Contact: Jason Walz jawalz@fs.fed.us 575-885-7426 Hiking Opportunities Cave Survey and Inventory Opportunities Cave Watch Organized Groups National Speleological Society (NSS) NSS – Southwest Region: www.caves.org/region/swr NSS – High Guads Restoration Project: www.hgrp.org NSS – Pecos Valley Grotto: Pat Seiser, President cavewench@windstream.net

Other Topics?