Virginia Cave Week initiative illuminates a world just below the surface By David A. Maurer Media General News Service Published: April 20, 2010 RICHMOND - Today marks the beginning of Virginia Cave Week. It’s designed to promote an understanding of the state’s caves and the surrounding limestone habitats known as karst. Sponsored by the Virginia Cave Board, its main focus is encouraging educators in all subjects to engage students from kindergarten through high school in activities that will expand their knowledge of these subterranean wonders. Grand Caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns and Shenandoah Caverns are offering discounts through Saturday to all visitors who mention Virginia Cave Week when buying a ticket. The theme this year, “What’s Killing Our Bats,” refers to white-nose syndrome. “WNS is a newly named fungus that was discovered in 2006 in New York,” said Meredith Hall Weberg, a member of the Virginia Cave Board and chairperson of its education committee. “It has crept down the East Coast every winter and was first found here in Virginia last April. “This fungus grows on the bat’s face and degrades its wings. It basically causes them to wake up during the winter when they’re supposed to be hibernating. They go out to look for food, but of course the insects they eat aren’t around, and they end up depleting their energy stores and die. It’s very tragic, and more than a million bats have died from it already.” Information on the current state of WNS and what’s being done about it can be accessed at _http://www.vacaveweek.com_ (http://www.vacaveweek.com/) , and at the Web site of the National Speleological Society, which is _http://www.caves.org_ (http://www.caves.org/) . Socky said the hope is that the theme will heighten awareness of the problem and perhaps motivate people to make a donation that will be used to help eradicate the deadly scourge. “Bats are a prime factor when it comes to insect control and fertilization,” said Socky, who is also a member of the Virginia Cave Board. “The only way this problem can be solved is by finding out exactly what’s causing it, and then finding a way to negate the problem.” Socky has been caving since 1974. Two of his specialties are surveying caves and making videos of their interiors. The Roanoke resident is the founder and owner of Hodag Video Productions, which produces DVDs on various outdoor activities such as caving, hiking and mountain climbing. Although he’s interested in all these things, his life revolves around caving. “Caves offer one of the easiest ways left on planet Earth to actually get to places where no one has ever been before,” Socky said. “If you follow the rules, use common sense and get properly trained, it’s one of the safer things you can do. “Of course, you can make it expensive if you want to by buying all the latest gear. But if you just want to do horizontal caving, it’s very inexpensive. “Caving for me and my family is an activity we more or less live, eat and breathe.” Socky’s wife, Mary Sue, said caving is not for everyone. For example, those with claustrophobia aren’t going to like the close confines. But for those who do like to explore, and don’t mind getting dirty and muddy, she feels there’s nothing like caving. “It [caving] always bothered my dad,” Mary Sue Socky said. “My family originally came from McDowell County in West Virginia, which is mining country. “I remember my dad once saying, ‘We came here to get away from the mines, and what do you do but turn right around and go underground.’ But I like it, because it’s so peaceful down there. “You can cut out the light, and just relax. You get a total workout, and Mother Nature in the cave doesn’t care if you got your hair and nails done or not.” Do not make the mistake of calling a caver a spelunker. As likely as not, he will let you know immediately that cavers rescue spelunkers. A spelunker, to a caver, is someone who disregards all the precautions that cavers routinely take. For example, cavers will never enter a cave with a group of fewer than four people. The reason is that if someone gets injured, one person can stay with the hurt caver while two others go for help. Another rule that’s not negotiable is that every caver must have a minimum of three light sources on his or her person. Becoming a caver and not a spelunker is as easy as contacting the nearest grotto, which is what cave clubs are called. The Charlottesville Grotto was started in 1946. Grotto members will educate newcomers on the dos and don’ts of the popular activity. Joining a grotto also will provide access to caves normally off-limits to the general public. “There are more than 4,000 known caves in Virginia, and each of them is owned by somebody,” said Weberg, who is a member of the Fredericksburg Grotto, which is called Battlefield Area Troglodyte Society, or BATS for short. “Typically in the east, wild caves are on private land, so you have to ask the owner’s permission to go into them. A wild cave is simply a cave you don ’t get charged money to go into. “Many wild caves are gated and locked. This is to prevent vandalism and to keep people from going into them during the winter, when bats are hibernating, or in the summer, when maternity colonies are inside.” Cavers perform important jobs in caves, such as monitoring water quality and pollution. Because of their decades of keeping tabs on bat populations in caves, the devastating effect of WNS is being accurately calculated. And, of course, there are the unexpected discoveries, such as what Socky and his caving partners made back in the 1970s. The discovery of the bones resulted in the preservation of other pieces of history. “About a year and a half before our discovery, others had found Indian footprints in the same cave,” David Socky said. “They were carbon dated and found to be 4,000 years old. “After our discovery, plaster casts of the footprints were made while the archeologists were at the cave to remove the bones. The casts are now in the museum as well.” These days Socky spends time every month driving from his Roanoke home to Cumberland Gap Cave in Kentucky. Working with the Cave Research Foundation, he is helping to survey the extent of the cave, which extends 15 miles. “When you love caves like cavers do, you want to protect them,” Socky said. “One of the ways to do that is by making sure people who go into caves are educated well enough that they know not to harm things. “A lot of times caves are gated, because you have vandals who go in them and ruin things. ‘Oh, cool formation,’ and they break something that took thousands of years to form and it’s gone forever.” Virginia Cave Week runs through Saturday. Grand Caverns, Natural Bridge Caverns and Shenandoah Caverns are offering a discount to those who mention Virginia Cave Week when buying a ticket. For more information, or to make a donation that will help in the fight against WNS go to _http://www.vacaveweek.com_ (http://www.vacaveweek.com/) . To find a caving club near you go to _http://www.caves.org_ (http://www.caves.org) . _http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/state_regional/article/virginia_cave_week_ini tiative_illuminates_a_world_just_below_the_surface/94638/_ (http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/state_regional/article/virginia_cave_week_initiative_illuminat es_a_world_just_below_the_surface/94638/)
