by self-deleted_user » Jan 21, 2011 8:31 pm
Just a thought...as a no0b...(7 months now) that coming in now, at this time (I figure "new" caver is probably 2-3 years or less?) all I hear about is conservation. Okay, not all. But, this is coming in after WNS. I think that WNS has given a huge "heads up" to how we might be affecting the cave environment (whether or not you buy the "cavers can transport the spores" story or not is irrelevent) because fact is, it's talked about ALL THE TIME. There are warnings posted. Cave closures. Advisories. And it makes you think and be careful. Before I set foot in a single cave I knew more about how to "cave softly" than I did about what was inside a cave! The younger people I cave with seem to be much more conservation minded than the older people, in general.
Of course, I'm one person and my sample size is small and all that. But my experience, the new cavers are much more upfront aware of how to take care of caves and it almost seems like it's as one gets more experience people figure out which "rules" can be "bent". Which, really holds true for a lot of things in life - when you start out in something new you tend to follow all the "rules" and not screw up because you want to be accepted into whatever community it is. It's as you get comfortable and learn which "rules" don't matter as much that they get bent or broken, which can sometimes lead to a slippery slope.
Just some food for thought...I'm not saying the "old folks" are to blame either so please don't hear that. That's not what I mean at all. This post is simply about what this certain no0b caver has seen.
Self-deleted due to large troll population on the forum, and absence of moderation.