Iowa Considers Re-opening Caves

[JR-Orion]

I would be very happy to see Maquoketa open up again. It's a great park and (as far as I know) it's the closest cave to my house.

[JR-Orion]

I don't want to be overly dramatic, but some great memories have been made at this park-





One of my favorite places, and it can be easy or intense...

[PYoungbaer]

JR-Orion,

They will have to remain memories for the time-being. Iowa will keep it closed for now:

http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_a ... 002e0.html

[PYoungbaer]

250,000 visitors down to 60,000. Wow. In another article, they say they are looking into guided tours, with protections against the fungus, but can't afford the staff. Caver volunteers anyone? Could be an excellent partnership opportunity:

http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=14336436

[JR-Orion]

Well, if the volunteer thing does happen, I'd be happy to sign up for that.

Thanks for the info.

[PYoungbaer]

The more I think about the volunteer idea, the more I think this would be a great partnership for the NSS caving community and the State of Iowa. It would help the revenues of the park by bringing in more visitors, and it would provide experienced and knowledgeable people who could help demonstrate that cave visitation and bat conservation are not mutually exclusive. Rather than waiting, Jasen, why not take the lead? I'm personally not connected to Iowa cavers, but I'm going to send the Iowa Grotto an email. Folks from Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin should also be made aware.

[JR-Orion]

Good idea. I was thinking about sending an email to the park, but might as well talk to the grotto first to see if we can get something going.