THE HISTORY OF WVCC
Excerpt from a paper written by Jeff Bray "Here Today,
Gone Tomorrow? Initiating Steps for Preserving West Virginia's Cave and
Karst Terrain", presented at the National Cave and Karst Management
Symposium in 1999.
The WVCC was created with a four-part mission statement.
First was to protect the cave and karst resources in the state through
education and resource management. Second was to promote the study of
caves and karst. Third was to provide maximum possible access to these
resources. Finally , the WVCC would offer a full range of management
resources.
Recognition of the need for a cave conservancy was noted by many. There
were organizations like the West Virginia Association for Cave Studies
and the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias that already existed, but the
major inhibitor of buying or managing property was the question of who
would be responsible. Not until George Sively, the previous owner of
Organ Cave, passed away in 1994 did this thought begin to take form of
an organization. In 1995 at the NSS Convention in Blacksburg, VA, the
President of the NSS set up an ad hoc committee on Organ Cave. This committee
was to stay informed on the Organ Cave situation and work toward the
formation of a non-profit organization that would buy the cave if and
when it would be offered for sale. bob Handley was named as chairman
of this committee. He then spoke to Cliff Lindsay, who was already managing
McClungs Cave along with Ed Swepston and Dave Cowan, about forming an
organization that would serve to protect the cave.
Contact was maintained with the heirs, although no progress was made toward
the purchase of the cave. Lindsay and Handley, with the help of Swepston,
worked up a charter for the Greenbrier Cave Conservancy in the spring of
1997, and it was chartered in July of that year. Shortly after the Greenbrier
Cave Conservancy was chartered, Mark Wolinsky of the Southeastern Cave
Conservancy, Incorporated, called Lindsay about access to McClungs Cave.
The conversation continued and discussion about the two conservancies took
place. Wolinsky suggested that the Greenbrier Cave Conservancy should expand
the scope of its efforts. After further discussions, Handley, Lindsay,
and Swepston formed the West Virginia Cave Conservancy, being chartered
in December of 1997. At the first meeting, the following were asked to
join as directors: Lonnie Burns, Tim Brown, Dave and Sandy Cowan, Ray Garton,
and Tina Hall. Bill Jones was later asked to be a director, followed later
by J.C. Fisher and Jeff Bray in 1998, filling the twelve-member Board of
Directors.
In the spring of 1998, there was an opportunity to purchase the property
containing the original entrance to Maxwelton Sink Cave in Greenbrier
County, now closed due to debris burying the cave during a dying hurricane
in the early 1970's. This opportunity came about on short notice and
forced the organization, in its infancy, to react quickly. there were
only two weeks for preparation before the land was to be sold at auction.
Cowan and Lindsay did a survey of the land that was thought to be necessary
to gain access to the cave, also feeling that the new landowners may
feel more comfortable selling if they knew the WVCC was serious. The
new owners were encountered after the auction, and negotiations are still
taking place. this situation did give the WVCC some quick attention in
the caving community through fundraising in preparation for the purchases
of the land. This brought the organization into the eyes of the caving
community.
In November of 1998, there was an announcement about an auction that
included two entrances of Greenville Saltpeter Cave in Monroe County.
this popular cave has four entrances, two of which are already
owned by the Institute for Earth Education (IEE), an organization
that shares
the conservancy's thoughts on preservation of the cave. The WVCC
had a very short period of time in which to respond, and once again
had
to act quickly to be ready for the auction. It was decided that
the WVCC would work to gather with the IEE to purchase the cave.
It was
also decided that due to the location of one of the entrances being
so close to property already owned by the IEE, we would introduce
the idea of an underground easement to the auctioneer. The thought
was
that this could be used to connect a majority of the cave to property
owned by the IEE. this idea of an underground easement was introduced
and eventually used in the purchase of Organ Cave by the new owners.
These were the first two times that an underground easement was
used in a purchase involving a cave in West Virginia. The IEE was
able to
purchase the two entrances and the underground easement at auction,
with the help of the WVCC.
The WVCC also helps the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (SCCI) manage
Lobelia Saltpeter Cave in Pocahontas County. This cave and property was
offered to the SCCI while the WVCC was still forming. When the SCCI heard
that a group had formed in West Virginia, they offered to work together
on the management of the cave. The first project on this property was
to clean it up since there had recently been a fire on the property.
The WVCC worked with the state in a special program, called "West
Virginia Make It Shine" month, and was able to remove the garbage
from the site at no charge. Artifacts were also found in the cave, and
these were sent to nearby Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park for protection
in fear that they would be vandalized at their current location in the
easily accessible cave.
Most recently, Rapps Cave in Greenbrier County, a known archaeological
site, was purchased by some landowners who were interested in conservation.
The WVCC worked with these new landowners to create a lease agreement
that would allow for a professional archaeological dig. The WVCC asked
for a grant from the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias and received $16,000
to contract archaeologists for the dig. The dig was scheduled to begin
in April of 2000.
The fundraising practices of the WVCC have been varied. Many different
levels of membership are available, including a charter membership
for the first year of the organization. The National Speleological
Society (NSS) Conventions have also been sources of funds, by making
brochures available through a number of vendors. At the Old Timers'
Reunion (OTR) which is held Labor Day Weekend each year, the WVCC
has been very noticeable since OTR takes place in West Virginia.
The goal
here seems to be to create a fundraiser that is different and unique,
something which people will remember from year to year. In 1998,
a small crane was constructed with a "pit" of buttons, all
reading "Dig the Max," in reference to the hopeful purchase
of Maxwelton Sink Cave. The patrons used a little crane to dig buttons
from the pit. Each button cost ten dollars, and some of the button
s had winning numbers on the backs, which corresponded to prizes donated
by vendors. In 1999, we had a rubber duck race in the Tygart Valley
River. The ducks were donated by the city of Ronceverte, and were sold
for five dollars. Each duck had a number, and the first twenty ducks
to cross the finish line won prizes. The WVCC also plans an annual
banquet. This fundraiser takes place in Lewisburg and is a time for
members to meet and talk to each other and the directors. Members and
benefactors are also recognized for their support.
|
