by SinkholePlain » Apr 19, 2012 5:44 pm
This is Gary Roberson. I would like to give everyone my perspective on Binkley Cave System and the proposed development project. I have been exploring and mapping in Binkley since 1967. It is very near and dear to me. When we first entered the cave, Corydon was a small rural community almost stereotypical of the Norman Rockwell paintings. There were only 2 or 3 places to eat in town-The Dog & Suds, Ideal Cafeteria and Jock's Lunch. Sizable farms raising cattle, chickens along with corn and soybeans covered the vast majority of the area over the cave system. Fast forward 45 years and you would not recognize Corydon. While it is still a very nice place to live, it is now adjacent to busy I-64 and you have to drive through close to a mile of Walmart Supercenter, dozens of restaurants, convenience stores, an 8 plex movie theater, car dealerships etc to even find the original part of town.
The cavers of the Indiana Speleological Survey have seen the northern parts of the cave particularly degraded over the intervening years. Dr. Jerry Lewis's work in the mid 1990's for the Nature Conservancy confirmed that the stream emptying from the North Section into the main stream was the most polluted in the cave.
The development of a small section of the Binkley Cave system as a show cave may be the only long term hope for the cave system to remain viable 100 years from now. This will be another show cave owned by NSS cavers, which over the past few decades has definitely been a trend in the American show cave industry. The ownership of show caves by NSS members is a good thing. Whether it be Cumberland Caverns, Marengo Cave, Glenwood Caverns, California Caverns, Moaning Cave, Black Chasm Caverns, Diamond Caverns etc, cavers owning show caves has upgraded the level of interpretation and educational opportunities for the general public significantly over the past 30-40 years. In this case, this new show cave will offer a great opportunity to educate the public, especially the local populace, about what a treasure exists under their feet. It will also give us a basis from which to advocate for future development in a manner that protects the integrity of the resource.
Even during the current real estate depression numerous new $250,000 houses have been and are currently being constructed over the cave system. When the housing depression finally ends, home building over the cave will rapidly increase in intensity as Corydon is only 23 miles from downtown Louisville, KY. There is no turning back the clock to Norman Rockwell's days. We hope to make a difference for the future of the Binkley Cave system in addition to the normal goals of operating a business.
In response the post about the county helping to pay for blasting an new entrance to help make a connection in the cave, this has no basis in fact. The county only said they would pay 50% of widening 900 feet of narrow road for safety purposes. Actually in most economic development projects, governmental units will pay 100% of road widening for economic development projects. In this case the private entity is agreeing to pay 50% of the cost of widening a roadway owned by the county government. That is all that was being proposed. No one is asking the county for money for any other part of the development. Binkley and Blowing Hole Cave have already been connected for several months so an entrance is not needed for that purpose.
In closing, I have been a caver since I was 11 years old. I love Binkley Cave and have devoted and continue to devote my life to exploring and mapping it. I am very concerned about it's future. I know that the proposed project will be a signficant positive for the cave system over time. I understand the point-of-view of cavers that love the peace and wilderness of a pristine wild cave. Being in virgin cave is in my opinion the most wonderful experience of being a caver. However as a 46 year NSS member, I can sleep well knowing that what we are doing is a good thing and hopefully will play a significant part in saving the Binkley Cave system when NSS member #200,000 gets ready to find some virgin cave in southern Indiana.
Gary Roberson
NSS 9364