Hi all,
I have been maintaining communications with Jacque Buchanan, the Forest
Supervisor of the Lincoln National Forest concerning the closoing of the caves
in the Guads. Here is an update of what has happened since our meeting in
Carlsbad on Feb 22nd:
Jacque has met with her counterparts at BLM and Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
She has also had a meeting with Jerry Trout (who is retiring at the end of the
month). The talks with the Washington office are going well and she has
another meeting with Jerry at the end of this week.
The development of the proposal going forward up the chain of the Forest
Service to improve the Cave Management program is progressing on schedule and
should be available for review in about two weeks.
The cave permit system for the Guadalupe Office will be back up and running
(issuing permits) by the end of this week (Friday the 12th).
She is planning another meeting in Carlsbad in about two weeks to review the
new proposal for the cave managment program.
I and several others have provided her with comments about the current system
and how we believe it could be improved. She claims to have considered all of
the suggestions and to have incorporated many of them into the new program.
While her plate is very full with many different activities occuring, she is
devoting a significant share of her time to the issue of the caves, cavers, and
cave management. So far she does not appear to be the same type of "Forest
Service" manager that we have seen in the past. She actually acts like she
realizes that the caves are a very valuable asset and deserve a level of
attention that has not been present in the past. She also seems genuine in
listening to the concerns of the caving community.
I will keep you informed as things develop.
Ken
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