Western Cave Conservancy

Preservation | Protection | Education

Michael Spiess

  • Cave of the Winding Stair MOU

    Posted:

    We are pleased to announce that the WCC has signed an MOU with the CA State Park system to re-open access to Cave Of The Winding Stair. It’s an advanced vertical cave near Mitchell Caverns in the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area in the East Mojave Desert and has been closed to the public since 2008. The cave has a surveyed length of 1,954 feet and a depth of 311 feet.

    The cave will be managed by a trustee system, with four trustees initially, and overall WCC involvement will be coordinated by Jesse Johnson. Trips limited to six per year (with no trips in July or August, when the area is closed, and you really don’t want to be in the Mojave that time of year anyway). All trips must have a conservation or research aspect (similar to Lilburn).

    Note that the cave is intensely vertical (over 300′ to the bottom); all visitors must be good vertical cavers. First trip dates are TBD but will be announced soon.

  • Small Party Assisted Rescue Class

    Posted:

    Small Party Assisted Rescue (SPAR) Class in Sutter Creek, CA November 12-15 2026

    Sponsored by SFBC and MLG

    For the second time, the Western Region of the National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) will be holding a Small Party Assisted Rescue (SPAR) class from November 12 – 15 at the Rippled Cave (Weller Preserve) near Sutter Creek, CA.

    Students have from August 4 10am PST – August 11 10am PST to enroll for the lottery. After enrollment closes you will be notified via email about whether or not you were selected. Registration link here: https://NCRC.regfox.com/turkey-spar-2026-western-region

  • Wind Cave Cleanup

    Posted:

    A joint project of the WCC , OHDG, and the U.S. Forest Service to clean up Wind Cave. Wind Cave in Oregon is a nearly 4,000-foot-long lava tube located near Bend on the flanks of Newberry Volcano. The cave is located in the Deschutes National Forest.

    Read Local Press Here

    Graffiti prior to removal. Note the yellow sand blaster and the tarps spread to capture the media
    After the graffitti removal

    Interested in the process? See: Graffiti Removal Process

  • 2026 Western Regional

    Posted:

    WCC will be attending the Regional in Tecopa, California
    October 23-25 2026. Please join us for breakfast and get a car magnet!

  • Fall 2026 WCC Board Meeting

    Posted:

    The fall board meeting will be on November 1st, 2026 commencing at 1:00 p.m. Please contact us at mail@westerncaves.org for the Zoom link.

  • WCC Grant Awarded to CaveSim

    Posted:

    WCC Granted $2500 as part of our ongoing grant program to support CaveSim. Their objective is to raise sufficient funds to purchase a newer truck to transport the CaveSim mobile cave to educational events around the country, including events in California, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and other western states.