Bloomington Cave Gate

[mymania]

Feds wants to tighten access to southern Utah cave
By MIKE STARK
Associated Press Writer

For nearly a century, southern Utah's largest cave has drawn a mishmash of serious explorers, untrained spelunkers, Boy Scouts, teenage revelers, vandals, litterbugs and drinkers.

Now, after years of restoration work - including intensive sandblasting to get rid of graffiti and the removal of untold bags of garbage - the Bureau of Land Management is looking to tighten access to the 1.3-mile long Bloomington Cave.

A proposal now up for public comment would add locked gates at the cave's two entrances and limit entry to those with permits, which would be free and limited to 50 per day. Caving equipment such as reliable lighting and hard hats also would be required.

Jimmy Tyree, director of the BLM's field office in St. George, said the gates and new rules could be in place by this summer.

The change has been a long time coming, he said. Graffiti once greeted every visitor and trash littered many of the cave's labyrinthine passages and caverns. Some visitors lit campfires and others left thousands of feet of string behind as a way to find their way through the cave's six levels.

"There needed to be some sort of management controls in place," Tyree said.

Located about 15 miles west of St. George, the cave has a long, colorful history. There's evidence that American Indians spent time there, and inscribed names go back to the 1920s and 1930s.

The cave later became popular with touring students and teenagers looking for a place to party.

At one point in 1952, officials dynamited the cave's entrance because they were worried is was no longer safe. Teenagers quickly removed the rubble and reopened the entrance. Another attempt to shut off the entrance two years later also failed.

The cave became a popular target for graffiti with the advent of spray paint decades ago.

"The degradation has been going on a long time," said Kyle Voyles, a cave specialist at Arizona's Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument who has helped map Bloomington Cave.

The BLM put up an information kiosk near the entrance to the cave but it was damaged in a wildfire in 2006 and destroyed by vandals last year. It has since been replaced.

The proposed permitting system would include requirements for proper equipment and information about "cave etiquette."

The changes also may benefit some of the cave's lesser-seen residents. BLM officials believe the number of Townsend's big-eared bats declined as more people visited the cave. The agency is hoping the permit system will lessen the pressure on the bats' habitat.

The BLM's office in St. George is taking public comment on the proposal through Feb. 25.

[konigstigerii]

and that is why it is extremely important to be respectful, and clean up after yourself...

[Crystal]

A proposal now up for public comment would add locked gates at the cave's two entrances and limit entry to those with permits, which would be free and limited to 50 per day. Caving equipment such as reliable lighting and hard hats also would be required.

That's not a bad idea. Why can't they do this to mines? Close the mines but give access to responsible people!

[konigstigerii]

A proposal now up for public comment would add locked gates at the cave's two entrances and limit entry to those with permits, which would be free and limited to 50 per day. Caving equipment such as reliable lighting and hard hats also would be required.

That's not a bad idea. Why can't they do this to mines? Close the mines but give access to responsible people!

I agree. I would think why they don't is because of the liability of 'letting' people go in. Not sure exactly why, but I would think it would come down to mines being less stable than caves, and the possibility of falling thru a false floor, gasses, etc. Doesn't make much sense, but after all this is the government...

[Mike]

Caves also can have bad air, especially if there is substantial bat activity. Certain caves are also many times more dangerous than others. The same thing applies to mines. Many mines do not have false floors, bad air, etc. Mines with heavy mineralization and water flow actually strengthen themselves overtime as they seal the cracks in the rocks made by blasting.

A simple regulation plan could be put in place. Those mines which are extremely dangerous (which are few) can be closed and only authorized personnel could enter. Mines which have few dangers can be closed, but anybody can gain access in a similar manner those of the caving world go through.

We are discussing ideas and plans for a 'grotto' like organization that would allow us to be the entity that controls access to these closures.

[konigstigerii]

Yeah I'm not an expert, so I dunno why a mine would be a lot more dangerous, but I think that is how the government monkeys see it..

[Mikezauner]

Because they're government types and are too good to be crawling through a cave and or mine. Same reason why video games get picked on usually too. No personal experience to prove the nutjobs they talk to wrong.

[Mike]

Same reason why video games get picked on usually too. No personal experience to prove the nutjobs they talk to wrong.

Exactly right. Most involved in the AMRP in any way have never stepped foot into a mine. They are also very opinionated (as we all are) and will not take time to look at our side of things.

[one_bad_rover]

So with out mentioning names, there are quite a few of the DOGM staff that are not opposed to going into mines and a lot of them really enjoy it and get it that we are destroying the history. ( the exception being our favorite old lady and her boss... mr.....zaba.. ) However, they have a job, and they are doing it. A lot of them move on to other departments though. They are not allowed to access the mines because of insurance so they cant discuss what they find... (Chris Roeher - Kane county...deep into the HG mine???) But long and short, they arent driving the effort, its OSMRE... Utah DOGM is just a tool for them. And OSMRE is working under a federal mandate to close all ABANDONED mines... key word, ABANDONED...
Take this one to heart. ABANDONED...
Change the tactic, change the law, change the future.
Dont think anything is impossible, look at what SUWA has been accomplishing for years... in the 1970s if you had said that 40% of BLM land would be designated wilderness, you would have been ridiculed.
SUWA pushed it, changed the law... and look what we have now..
Its not a matter of arguement, its just getting to the right people and convincing them to make the change. Popularity equals votes. No one wants to be "that *********************************** that destroys Utahs history".