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Carroll Cave
Conservancy
R/C Committee Chairmen’s
Personal Conservation Statement
October 26, 2003
We, the members of the Carroll Cave
Restoration/Conservation Committee, have, by our participation and our
commitment to create this organization, have committed ourselves to the
protection and the conservation of Carroll Cave. This will ensure that
future generations will have, and be able to enjoy, what we have and enjoy
today. By opening this new entrance we have created a multitude of
opportunities in the areas of cave exploration, science, and research,
that will continue for decades to come. With this comes a huge
responsibility for the care and conservation of the cave.
The members of the Restoration /
Conservation Committee can best accomplish this through cooperative
management, good communications, and involvement and participation by all
of its membership. By developing strategies and policies based on proven
methods from other caving organizations and conservancies, we will have a
Conservation program that protects and conserves the caves natural
resources, and reflects a sound cave management program. Conservation
balanced with access is the key to a successful Conservation and
Management project. The Restoration / Conservation project working in
conjunction with other projects will help to establish guidelines and
protocols to serve the Conservation needs of the cave.
I have listened to many different points
of view concerning Conservation policies and practices, and how it should
be incorporated with the different projects that are being developed. It
has been said that the word Conservation should be replaced with the word
Preservation. The word Preservation I think would not be the appropriate
defining word in this case, but rather, by following good Conservation
practices we will establish a condition of acceptable preservation.
Some of the members have told me that I
should remove the word Conservation all together because it implies
(closing the cave) or (non use of the cave). This is a misconception on
the part of most of the cavers I have listened too, and talked with, and
it is the cause of many disagreements concerning the caves accessibility
and management. Just for the record, the word means totally the opposite.
I think this word needs to be put into its proper context, in the interest
of defining the purpose and direction of this committee. The word
Conservation as defined in Webster’s University Dictionary means, (the act
or process of conserving, controlled use of, and systematic protection of
natural resources). This definition says it all; it is what Conservation
is all about.
Any natural resource that comes in
contact with the human element will be impacted and or altered to a
certain degree. This is unavoidable since any intrusion upon a natural
environment will disrupt and create an imbalance of the ongoing natural
sequence of events. Developing and creating guidelines that allow access
with good Conservation in mind, is the most sensible course of action. The
purpose and direction of this Committee is to utilize the cave and its
natural resources with attention to creating the least amount of impact.
Many of us come from different
backgrounds and have different opinions about Carroll Cave and how it
should be managed. After consultation with many individuals having
extensive backgrounds in Restoration and Conservation, it has become clear
that the collective conscience concerning Carroll Cave is, conserving and
protecting the cave and its natural resources, with an emphasis’s on,
Science, Research, Exploration and limited recreational use. One point of
fact should be mentioned here. Most of the damage to the cave until now
has accrued over the last fifty years, with visitation through the natural
entrance. This is not to say that any one person or group of people is to
blame, or that any of it was intentional. The lack of Conservation
awareness, and no access controls, with the exception of the gate at the
natural entrance, and no Conservation policies over the last fifty years
is the contributing factor here. With a new legal entrance in place, and a
Conservancy set up, all these problems can now be corrected, and with hard
work and dedication on the part of its members, most of the damage can be
repaired and accessibility can be guaranteed for generations to come.
Scientific Research and Exploration
entails many different areas of study, at different levels, and with
different criteria’s. The need to be thorough and precise in these
activities is of the greatest importance. These activities will determine
the amount of impact within the cave for generations to come, and will
show, within two to five years, just how well, we as caretakers of Carroll
Cave have been able to manage this cave as a natural resource. The
Restoration / Conservation Project will play a determining roll in these
events along with Survey, Biology, Geology, and any other projects to be
in cooperated later on.
As a final note, it is recommended that
all members of the CCC familiarize themselves with the Constitution,
Bylaws, and Management Policy guidelines. These are the operating
parameters of the Carroll Cave Conservancy, and incorporated in them is
reflected a good attitude and direction for the conservation of the cave.
Communication between all projects and the Board of Directors will
determine how well we work together as a unified organization to further
the goals of this Conservancy in the best interest of our members, and for
the good of the cave.
Restoration/Conservation
Committee Chairman
Michael Hartley
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