Over the weekend in western Va. I visited a cave that I felt would be incredibly enjoyable if not for the obscene amounts of garbage and graffiti within. Perhaps I am naive as to what qualifies a cave for an organized restoration effort, but I feel that this particular cave is worth the work. If I didn't live 6 hrs away, I would be glad to make this my personal long-term project. I must admit that I have had no contact with the owner and do not know if he/she would allow such efforts, but if permission was granted, do you think a large scale cleanup is a realistic expectation?
The cave is very cluttered with decades worth of cans, bottles and broken glass as well as bits of string, clothes, candles, batteries, etc. There are also four or five sets of arrows, sprayed, smoked, and scratched on the walls, along with volumes of adolescent scribblings (this cave seems to have been a favorite among kids toying with occultism). In deeper levels there is relatively little mess and a lot of very interesting passage but the first impression greatly dampens enthusiasm. Anyway, tell me what you think and feel free to PM for more details. If a cleanup is ever organized, I would ecstatically make the drive to help.