Preserve: Elroy and Marilyn Daleo Cave Preserve

Elroy and Marilyn Daleo Cave Preserve

Hart County, Kentucky

Photo by A. & P. Bosted

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The Elroy and Marilyn Daleo Cave Preserve, one mile east of Mammoth Cave National Park, was established to protect the Daleo Entrance to the Roppel Cave section of Mammoth Cave, the longest known cave on earth. The Daleo Entrance is the only entrance to Mammoth Cave owned and managed by a conservation organization. Situated in a classic karst valley in the Mammoth Cave Plateau, the Preserve protects the Daleo Entrance, as well as several smaller caves and notable karst features.

Within the Preserve, karst features typical of the Mammoth Cave Plateau can be observed. Springs and sinking streams, sinkholes, caprock margin blowholes, and small pits can all be found by those who choose to explore the property. We are confident that there are still caves to discover on the Preserve.

Roppel Cave

The small cave on the Daleo farm had been known for many years. A spring, that was the water supply for the farm, flowed a short distance into a sinkhole and disappeared under a ledge. The strong, cool breeze attracted many of the locals on hot, summer afternoons, but the passage just inside was too low to follow. In 1980, passages in Roppel Cave were found to come very close to this cave on the Daleo farm. And, in 1981, the low crawl was dug sufficiently to become the second entrance to Roppel Cave. The Daleo Entrance provided easier access to sections of the cave once many hours and hard miles from the original Roppel Entrance. The Daleo Entrance continues to be used for exploration and survey of the northern and eastern reaches of the Roppel Cave section, now surveyed to over 95 miles.

The Daleo Entrance to Roppel Cave is the heart of the Preserve. A short crawl and couple of climbs quickly lead into the main levels of Roppel Cave, which include some of the most complex and diverse passages found in Mammoth Cave. Streams in Roppel Cave flow into two major, overlapping drainage basins: Pike Spring to the north, and Turnhole Spring to the south. Floodwaters frequently bridge these drainage basins creating a baffling array of overflow tubes, seemingly illogical passage intersections, flow reversals, and streams that flow in all directions of the compass.

Passages reached via the Daleo Entrance are typically dry, clean-washed canyons and tubes that can be followed to the south and west into the most complex sections of the cave. Or, the active streams near the entrance can be followed to an extensive network of active stream levels that lead far to the north and to the east. Most of the principal passages are of walking height with occasional crawls that span up to eight distinct levels. Canyon straddling and some climbing is quite commonly encountered. The classic walking, elliptical tubes made famous by Mammoth Cave can be found in the central sections of Roppel Cave beneath Toohey Ridge.

Roppel Cave is the epitome of a cavers’ cave, and it is a special place. It is like a jungle gym in some parts and, in others, you can also walk for miles. Or, you can choose to challenge the long crawls and narrow canyons.

Cave Condition

Horizontal Caving

Yes

Vertical Caving

Yes

Surface Only Permit

Yes

Same Day Permits

Camping

Yes

Trail

Short five minute walk to cave entrance

Parking Area

Dirt

Pets

Yes - Surface Only. Please clean up after your pets.

Acreage

Contact Name(s)

James Borden, John Feil, Kevin Downs, Dick Market, Holly McClintock,

Contact

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The following basic safety information is provided with permission from the National Speleological Society. To learn more about caving or find a local grotto (chapter) of the National Speleological Society visit www.caves.org. While you are there, become a member!

Basic Safety Information

There are several versions of cave safety guidelines. Having adequate training and reliable equipment are the main points in each one. Safe use of equipment can be achieved only by sharing information, teaching and demonstrations. Chances of being injured are reduced by awareness of dangers and by knowledge of your equipment and techniques.

Statistically, caving accidents are mostly attributed to poor judgment, little or no caving experience and falls. The most common causes of caving accidents include: falling, being struck by falling objects and hypothermia.

Falling: To reduce the risk of falling, one should avoid jumping and uncontrolled sliding down slopes, wear proper footwear, check and discard any faulty or worn vertical equipment and obtain proper training. When caving, you should always try to have three points of contact when moving over uneven ground. This means having three points on your body supported on immovable objects to stabilize your body while moving through difficult areas.

Falling Objects: Injury caused by falling objects are best avoided by always wearing a helmet. It is best to stay clear of the base of drops and climbs. Secure all items of equipment so that they will not drop on cavers below you. Remember to always yell "ROCK!" for all falling objects, even if it's your water bottle. Saying "WATER!" will take too much time for the person to think when a second of reaction time is all they have.

Hypothermia: If the temperature drops more than a few degrees, the body can no longer function properly. Dress appropriately for the weather and carry extra clothing or something that can protect you from the cold. The first signs of hypothermia are fatigue, drowsiness, exhaustion, unwillingness to go on, feeling cold, poor coordination and stumbling.

Other Hazards: Not all caving problems involve injuries. A few people do get lost in caves, become stuck or are unable to climb up a ledge or rope to get out of the cave. Exhaustion and a lack of light (or light failure) may cause someone to become lost who might otherwise have found their way out of the cave.

A Closer Look Into Safety

As you plan to go on a cave trip, there are several things you should include in your pre-trip planning. Proper preparation will help you have a safe trip and will give some amount of protection against the many dangers of being under ground.

The mere fact that you are interested in caving implies that you are probably comfortable with some level of risk and are somewhat comfortable with the unknown. These are good things, but a person preparing for a cave trip considers the risks, tries to anticipate the problems and thinks about the unknowns. No one wants to have a problem while we are under ground, but we should never go into the cave without at least taking a few minutes to think about the things that can go wrong on our trip.

NEVER Cave Alone

This is dangerous, fool hardy and is a sure recipe for a disaster. The smallest size group recommend is four people. With this number, if someone is hurt, one person can stay and comfort the injured and the other two can get help.

First-time Cavers

There are several things that should be discussed with people who have never been underground before. Discussing the following points with them will help them be mentally prepared, safer and have a better experience.

Three points of contact should be exhibited when moving over uneven ground. This means having three points on your body supported on immovable objects. Whether it is your left foot, right shoulder and knee; your left elbow, head and right hip; or your right hand, bottom and back.
The group needs to stay together. The only reasons not to have people stay together will involve either someone with an injury or an emergency.
Do not exert yourself beyond the limits of your endurance and never do anything that your are not comfortable with. Remember, discretion is the better part of valor. If anyone should have any questions or anxieties, he or she should make their concerns known. It is a team effort when underground.
Do not leave trash behind, pick up others' trash, do not vandalize and do not take souvenirs. Everyone should know the importance of cave conservation on the trip. The caver's motto: Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing footprints, kill nothing but time.
Have an emergency plan and discuss what will be done if something goes wrong. Everyone should know to wait for instructions from the trip leader, unless he or she is in a life-threatening situation. They need to understand that the trip leader makes the decisions in case of an emergency.

Getting Equipped

Every caving trip requires the same basic equipment and supplies. These items include light, head protection (helmet), food, water, first aid kit and proper clothing.

Responsibility

Caving responsibly involves planning a trip, moving through the cave safely and returning on time. You and your partners are responsible for protecting yourselves and the caves you visit.

Tell Someone Your Plans

Establish a time to be out of the cave and a contact person who knows this information. Notify a reliable person about your caving plans, including the name, the location of the cave you are visiting and your estimated time of return. Agree on what to do if you do not return on time. He or she should understand that they will be the person to call for help if you have not checked in with them after the trip should have ended. If you exit the cave after your estimated exit time contact this person as soon as possible to prevent an unnecessary rescue.

Group Size

A good group size is four to six people. Groups larger than six tend to be slow and difficult to manage, so divide a larger group of cavers into separate groups. Each group should have at least one, preferably two, people who are familiar with the cave and good caving skills and practices.

Alertness and Challenges

When caving it is important to remain clear headed. Drugs, including alcohol, that affect your alertness, judgment or ability to think clearly make you a threat to your group’s safety.

Everyone going on the trip should be physically and mentally ready for the challenges that will be associated with the trip. He or she will also need to have the skills required for the kind of cave. For example, does someone have a limiting medical condition? Is someone claustrophobic and you are going on a tight trip? Will everyone on a vertical trip understand on-rope techniques like a change over? The bottom line is, if you think that you or someone else on the trip is not up to challenges that you will be encountering, it is far better to bring it up before a serious problem arises inside the cave.

Hazards

A novice’s apprehension before a caving trip is healthy and an awareness of possible hazards helps you avoid them. Here are some of the dangers of caving.

Getting lost
Running out of light
Hypothermia
Passages flooding
Falling rocks
Poor footing, falling
Falling down pits

In addition to making caves available for recreational use, SCCi is also committed to protecting caves and fragile cave ecosystems. The following clean caving procedures are required when visiting SCCi caves. If you have any questions, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 423-771-9671.

Introduction of foreign substances into caves can have unintended consequences to cave life. In addition to concerns regarding White-nose Syndrome (WNS), some caves have microscopic life that is unique to that cave, and can be decimated by material introduced from other caves.

CLEAN CAVING PROCEDURES

When caving in WNS positive counties, clean your gear (Steps 1-2 below)
When caving between WNS negative counties, clean your gear (Steps 1-2 below).
When caving from a county that is WNS positive to a county that has no identified cases, disinfect your gear (Steps 1-5 below).
When caving in likely WNS positive counties disinfect your gear (Steps 1-5) going in and, going out, disinfect your gear (Steps 1-5) if visiting WNS negative counties or clean your gear (Steps 1-2 below) if visiting WNS positive counties.

Refer to the following table for the list of counties and SCCi caves that have been identified White-nose Syndrome positive. Any cave located in a county where White-nose Syndrome has been identified should be treated as positive.

State	County	Preserve	WNS Positive
Alabama	DeKalb	Steward Springs	YES
	Jackson	Fern	YES
	Jackson	Horse Skull	YES
	Jackson	Kennamer	YES
	Jackson	Limrock Blowing	YES
	Jackson	Neversink	YES
	Jackson	Stephens Gap	YES
	Jackson	Tumbling Rock	YES
	Jackson	Valhalla	YES
	Madison	Glove Pit	YES
	Madison	Varnedoe	YES
	Shelby	Anderson	YES
	Jackson	Balcony	LIKELY
	Jackson	Moody	LIKELY
Florida	Jackson	Hollow Ridge	NO
	Marion	Jennings	NO
Georgia	Dade	Howards Waterfall	YES
	Dade	Fox Mountain	YES
	Dade	Johnsons Crook	YES
	Walker	Fricks	YES
Kentucky	Hart	Frenchman Knob	YES
	Hart	Logsdon	YES
	Hart	Daleo	LIKELY
Tennessee	Cocke	Rattling	LIKELY
	Cumberland	Run to the Mill	YES
	Fentress	Wolf River	YES
	Franklin	Sinking Cove	YES
	Marion	Gourdneck	YES
	Marion	South Pittsburgh	YES
	Rutherford	Snail Shell	LIKELY
	Wayne	Holly Creek	YES
	Hamilton	Hugden	LIKELY
	Grundy	Mayapple	LIKELY
	Marion	Sinkhole	LIKELY
Virginia	Russell	Cyclops	LIKELY
	Giles	Salamander	LIKELY
West Virginia	Pocahontas	Lobelia	YES

For a map of all US counties and their White-nose Syndrome status visit https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/resources/map.

Step 1: Get the Dirt Off

If not completed before leaving the site, thoroughly remove all dirt and debris from all items prior to cleaning and disinfecting. NOTE: If dirt and debris has been transported away from its origin, additional treatment of this debris may be needed.

Step 2: Clean your Gear

Wash submersible and non-submersible equipment according to manufacturer’s recommendations. Conventional cleansers like Woolite® detergent or Dawn® dish soap may not kill Pd, but they aid in the removal of sediments and debris that may contain spores and increase the effectiveness of subsequent treatment.

Vacuum and wash the inside of field vehicles, especially floor mats and seats used by people who have been inside the bat roosts and cargo areas holding equipment that has been inside the roost. For vehicles that have been driven into or to the entrance of a bat roost, wash the exterior, including undercarriage, before being driven into or to the entrance of another roost. (The best approach is to avoid driving vehicles into or to the openings of roosts.)

Step 3: Disinfect your Gear Use one of the following methods to disinfect your gear:

Submersible Equipment

Submersible Equipment (i.e., equipment that can safely withstand submersion in hot water or other specified product for the recommended amount of time without compromising the integrity of the item). The preferred treatment for equipment deemed suitable for submersion is hot water that maintains a temperature of at least 55ºC (131ºF) for a minimum of 5 continuous minutes. All equipment surfaces must remain in direct contact (i.e., avoid all trapped air) with the >55ºC (131ºF) water for the entire 5-minute disinfection period. Many commercial and home washing machines with sanitize (or allergen) cycles may be capable of submerging gear in the recommended hot water application for the required time, but each machine should be tested to ensure it reaches and sustains the needed temperatures throughout the process. Remember, if heat may affect the safety and/or integrity of the otherwise submersible piece of equipment, consider equipment dedication or an alternative application or product listed in Table 1.

Non-Submersible Equipment

Non-submersible Equipment (i.e., equipment that may be damaged by liquid submersion) Treat all non-submersible equipment using the most appropriate application or product in Table 1 that complies with the equipment manufacturer’s recommendations and product label instructions. Remember, if an application or product may affect the safety and/or integrity of the equipment, do not use it.

Step 4: Rinse

Thoroughly rinse equipment in clean water or wipe with a clean cloth dampened with water, if appropriate. This step is particularly important if the items will subsequently contact humans, animals, or sensitive environments. Allow all equipment to dry prior to the next use.

Step 5: Clean Up

Repeat these steps for equipment bins and non-disposable bags, sinks, countertops, and other surfaces exposed to equipment during the decontamination process using the most appropriate applications or products in Table 1.

Table1

Safety Disclaimer: You’re responsible for using any of these methods safely. Be sure to follow manufacturer’s recommendations, label instructions, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), and common sense.