Cave Restoration Benefits to Cave Inhabitants
The Great Outdoors | June 1, 2018
CAVING SERIES 3
By Bryan Kleist, Wisconsin Speleological Society
Many creatures live, or hibernate inside of caves. Salamanders, spiders, crickets, moths, some snakes, and bats are just a few of them. If cave sediment is not removed many of them would perish.
As the previous article explained, caves are basically water conduits. Often, within the rocks, voids of only a few inches high or wide exist. Heavy, prolonged rains can flood these small voids. Small, cave dwelling creatures can become trapped drown within. By fully digging out and restoring the caves, one can re-establish the necessary volume and space to properly host cave inhabitants. Creatures can then safely increase and reestablish their numbers to what they may have once been in pre-glacial times.
Cave restoration also makes it more difficult for predators to harm cave dwelling creatures within. The extra space offers dwellers more safety and security. Evidence has shown that restoration techniques do work; numbers of cave creatures continue to increase from year to year as the caves continue to be enlarged.
An obvious fact of cave restoration is that, as an organism’s perfect, protected, habitat is increased, it flourishes.
Bryan Kleist is the Current Vice Chairman of the Wisconsin Speleological Society (WSS). He holds an associate degree in Natural Resources/Conservation and in Criminal Justice. Bryan has owned and operated a landscape company for 26 years, specializing in natural stone. WSS has been a grotto of the National Speleological Society since 1961; a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote interest in and to advance in any and all ways the study and science of Speleology, the protection of caves and their natural contents, and to promote fellowship among those interested therein. For more information visit:
www.wisconsincaves.org
