When I originally accepted my AmeriCorps position at Lewis &
Clark Caverns State Park, I knew working underground would prove to be a very
unique experience; I did not realize, however, that I was arriving in the midst
of the largest renovation project the cave has seen since the park was first
developed in the 1930s. Within a few days of starting in January, I had the privilege of
joining in on a trip into the cave to document the progress of updating the
lights and handrails. This was my first look into the cave, and it included a
backstage behind-the-scenes look--so needless to say, I was taking pictures of everything!
An important part of any major project on public lands is
publicity and trans
parency. Joining us for the day was Fish and Wildlife news
reporter, Chet
Layman. As we walked through the construction occurring in the cave, we got to
witness workers drilling post holes for handrails and laying new wiring for the
lighting system. These much-needed improvements replaced old handrails and
lights that dated back several decades.
parency. Joining us for the day was Fish and Wildlife news
reporter, Chet
Layman. As we walked through the construction occurring in the cave, we got to
witness workers drilling post holes for handrails and laying new wiring for the
lighting system. These much-needed improvements replaced old handrails and
lights that dated back several decades.
As the newbie in the group, I had the benefit of getting to be
Chet’s acting cameraman for
During the summer season, Julia Smit also works as the Park
Ranger for the park. She was hired by the state as the cave specialist to
mediate what is best with the cave with what needs to be done for the project.
Her expertise and input ensured that there was always an open dialogue between
the project manager and the park. Some of the lengths taken that went above and
beyond normal protocols included old handrails being put in bags before being
transported out of the cave, the drill for handrail posts being fitted with a
splash guard, concrete being mixed in a sealed area, and work benches
designated to concrete platforms only.
One consequence of leaving cable in a cave with a constant rate
of humidity of 90% for several decades is that the casing around the cable
eventually starts to deteriorate, contaminating whatever it is touching. During
a cave clean up, I got to assist in removing this sludge that had built up
around the cables and covering them with fresh cave dirt.
In total, over 11,000 feet of branch circuit cable were replaced.
The largest length of cable, a section of the power feeder, was 135 feet at 1.5
pounds per foot. There are over 2200 feet of that main power feeder in the cave.
The old and new post cores that were drilled to remove old handrails and establish new ones respectively, often had some very unique
designs to them. One of the new cores was drilled out of flowstone and reveled
a pocket of air that had allowed a miniature formation called a helictite to grow
inside of it!
Throughout the cave, 224 post holes were cored in preparation for the new
stainless steel handrails. Black styrofoam was used to transport the 970 feet
of new handrails safely into the cave.
No bats were harmed in the duration of this project. In
preparation for the noise that would ultimately disturb the bats trying to
hibernate, music was played all day starting in October when the project began.
The constant noise was a method to hopefully encourage the bats to hibernate
elsewhere. We are happy to say that after having fewer bats than normal over-winter in the cave, we have a healthy number of bats, including our most famous
Townsend’s Big Eared bats that have
returned for the summer.
This part of the project is actually Phase II of a renovation
scheme to update all the lights and handrails in the cave. The first portion
took place in 2007, giving the Paradise Room an updated look. The
Red-Green-Blue lights in the Paradise Room accent the natural mineral-stained
pinks, whites, red/oranges, and browns.
Although the major driving forces behind the renovations were safety for visitors and health of the cave, aesthetics were also taken into account. Julia spent many tireless hours crawling into tight spaces to put lights where they had never been before, run cables through small cracks to mostly hide them from the pubic, and adjusting lights to the perfect angle. There are formations lit up now that easily could have been overlooked in the past.
Whether you have never been to the cave or make the park an annual visit
for your family, Lewis & Clark Caverns promises a whole new experience for
every visitor!
Videos:
Chet Layman Fish and Wildlife interview January 2019- Assistant
Park Manager, Tom Forwood:
Chet Layman Fish and Wildlife interview January 2019- Park
Ranger, Julia Smit:
Chet Layman Fish and Wildlife interview April 2019- Assistant
Park Manager, Tom Forwood:
Chet Layman interview April 2019- Assistant Park Manager, Tom Forwood- cave opening:
Winston Greely FWP interview April 2019- Park Manager, Rhea Armstrong and Assistant Park Manager, Tom Forwood:
