Saturday, June 4, 2005

Tech researcher studied Snowy River Cave

John Fleck The Albuquerque Journal

Special To El Defensor Chieftain

The "Snowy River" cave complex in southern New Mexico has been described in superlatives ranging from "probably unique in the world" to "staggeringly beautiful."

Until now, the cave, which features a "river" of pure white calcite rock more than 2 miles long, has been protected by its secret location known only to a few, including a world renowned cave researcher from New Mexico Tech.

Cavers, scientists and government officials have been willing to discuss Snowy River with reporters only on condition they not reveal the cave's location.

That changed Tuesday when federal officials led by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., announced a plan to protect the fragile resource.

"This has to be conserved and preserved," Domenici said at an Albuquerque news conference called to announce plans for the cave.

A team of volunteers discovered the cave in September 2001 when they were exploring Fort Stanton Cave, east of Capitan.

Fort Stanton Cave has been known since at least 1855, according to John Corcoran, a member of the volunteer team that made the Snowy River discovery.

In 1877, members of the U.S. Army's Wheeler Survey explored 3-1/2 miles of the cave, Corcoran said. "They did a good job. They were professional surveyors."

But it was not until a discovery in the 1990s that Fort Stanton Cave turned spectacular. Working with permits from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, a group of volunteers began exploring an area of the cave where air was blowing through a pile of rubble — a sign of a passage on the other side.

What they saw when they broke through was awe-inspiring, even to veteran cavers in the bunch.

"It's just like a trip to fairyland," said Penny Boston, a world-renowned cave researcher at New Mexico Tech.

Boston participated in one of the early follow-up expeditions.

Her particular interest is in the microscopic organisms that live in caves. She has found 16 unique strains of bacteria there previously unknown to science. Living underground, they have developed the ability to get their fuel by digesting minerals.

"In essence, these guys are rock-eaters," she said.

Fort Stanton Cave is gated, and access is permitted only to experienced cavers with a permit from the BLM. All access is prohibited in winter, to protect hibernating bats.

BLM's Jim Goodbar said wider public access to Snowy River is unlikely, in part because the tiny passage into the area is unstable.

Scientists hope to leave the cave as undisturbed as possible for further study.

Domenici said he will introduce a bill next week to create the Fort Stanton-Snowy River National Cave Conservation Area.

The legislation will protect the cave from mineral exploration and allow scientists to study it. The public will not be given access, officials said, because it is too fragile and dangerous.

Domenici also said he would help provide money for scientists to study the cave.

"We have a lot of natural wonders in our state," Domenici said, "and this may end up being one of the most significant."

New Mexico has long been known as a caver's mecca, with 1,900 known caves.

Carlsbad Caverns, probably the most spectacular and well known, is a national park, open to the public with paved paths and an elevator.

Others, such as the famous Lechuguilla Cave, are closed to the public but open to explorers and researchers.

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