|
|
|
The WCC About the WCC Directors Advisory Board Why We Are Called the WCC Our Supporters Donors Donate now! Join/Renew Now Current Projects Rippled Cave Windeler Cave Clough Cave Events Photo Gallery Archives Newsletters Financials Minutes Organizational WCC Home |
|
 |
We have exciting news about Windeler Cave: the cave is once again gated (as opposed to plugged with concrete), and WCC is introducing a brand new trustee program. That means for the first time in 12 years there will be regular trips going to the cave! In this article you'll find a brief overview of the cave and WCC's involvement with it, then the story of our recent gating and reopening activities, the people that got it done and how they work together, and finally details of the new trustee program. Background Charlie Windeler recognized the value of keeping this cave in its pristine condition. Many similarly beautiful caves in the Mother Lode area have been ruthlessly vandalized and gutted by careless visitors. For example Crystal Palace cave once had numerous gorgeous formations; nearly all are now broken and muddied. Other caves in the area have become show caves with concrete paths and walking tours; they"re no longer "wild." Windeler kept his cave from suffering either fate; some say he blasted it shut with dynamite to keep it safe. We do know it was buried under tons of rubble for years. The exact location faded from memory and the cave passed into myth. Members of Diablo Grotto led by Ernie Coffman (who is still involved with managing the cave) heard about Windeler's cave and set out to find it. By dint of research, careful investigation, good luck and a great deal of hard labor they located and reopened the cave in 1972,subsequently forming a committee to manage the cave. They installed a gate and began trips to enjoy, map, and study the cave. However it was plagued by a series of break-ins, and the committee had to fix and replace the gate several times. The final break-in was in 1997 and the committee just wasn't up to doing yet another gate. So they sealed the cave with concrete and there it sat, buried again for years. Gating and Reopening From 2007 to 2009 WCC worked on a new gate, first at a slow pace and then picking up speed. Jim Hildebrand put numerous hours and a lot of his personal resources into the project and for that we are grateful. At the same time we needed to build up a committee of dedicated, conservation-minded people that could sustainably manage the cave. This culminated with a new committee in 2009 followed by installation of the shiny new gate. While so far nobody has attempted another break-in, history tells us to expect it at any time. We are working to build a second gate to keep "in our back pocket." Finally having secured the entrance, the committee then engaged in two reconnaissance trips to learn what we"d actually gotten into, and develop ideas of how best to protect the resource while providing for balanced access to careful explorers. We are very happy to report that the cave is in great shape! Charlie Windeler, and the Diablo Grotto after him, did a truly exemplary job of protecting this cave. While there are a few restoration projects we'd like to undertake, it is by and large in the same "underground wilderness" state as it was at the time of its discovery, and WCC means to keep it that way. WCC has established an excellent working relationship with the Stanislaus National Forest (Mi-Wuk District) and has their full support of our mission to provide access to and protect this very special resource. The New Windeler Committee Stewardship Director Martin Haye formally created the committee at the beginning of 2009, drawing from a list of people who volunteered. The goal has been to achieve a balance of different groups of interested people, make decisions efficiently, and get the work done. The current committee members represent the nearby National Speleological Society chapters (called "grottoes") as well as cavers unaffiliated with any grotto. They were chosen based on enthusiasm they expressed and their complementary abilities. Membership is not fixed; there is a healthy interchange as new people enter and others step out over time. The current members are:
We devised an innovative system for quickly coming to decisions on all manner of issues from simple to thorny. The committee operates entirely by email, and everyone has a voice in the process and plenty of time to "say their piece." Here's how it works: Martin introduces one or two new issues at a time. After a week of email discussion he summarizes the developing consensus; a further week of discussion can be used to hammer out finer points or for people to elaborate or change their minds. At the end of two weeks Martin records the final decision and the process begins anew. In very rare instances consensus isn"t reached and in those situations Martin makes the best decision he can given all the input. Of course all decisions made by the committee are subject to review by the WCC Board of Directors. Trustee Program
Each trip consists of between 4 and 6 cavers (including the trustee). Typically the trustee will lead at the front of the group, and designate an especially experienced caboose from the participants to bring up the rear. Between them the trustee and caboose can monitor everyone in the group, though all participants should of course be looking out for one another. The cave often requires very careful movement so having everyone watch each others' heads and feet avoids damage to delicate cave formations. Many trustee trips will include some restoration work. For instance some places have mud left by former explorers that should be cleaned off. Larger maintenance projects, along with a baseline inventory, will be conducted by the committee separately from the trustee trips. The Future |
|
 | |
 |
 |
| |
Windeler Gates & Reopened