Why don't we give out cave
locations or specific cave information?
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We have no idea who is sending us e-mails.
An e-mail representing itself as being from a knowledgeable caver or respectable outdoor organization could actually be from a bunch of drunken amateurs with flashlights. That matters to us because:
1. Liability concerns. (e.g. A 14 year old could send us an e-mail claiming to be a knowledgeable adult. We give him the cave location. He gets killed. His parents sue us. Could that happen? We don't know, but we're not taking the chance.)
2. The more word gets out about cave entrance locations, the more likely it is that incompetent or inconsiderate strangers might trespass on a cave owner's property and maybe even vandalize the cave. Caves with well-known entrances are frequently filled with litter and vandalized with spray paint or by people carving their names on the ceiling or walls. When landowners and their caves are abused, caves get closed.
3. People who don't know (or don't care) what they are doing in caves can damage delicate formations or destroy the habitat of endangered and occasionally unique species of both animals and plants. Careless human traffic can destroy significant archeological and paleontological sites in caves as well.
4. People who don't know what they are doing are the ones most likely to get lost, injured or
killed in caves, and we don't want to get called out in the middle of the night to go look for
you. |
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Maybe you know better and know what you are doing, but
we can't take the risk that you may not be the responsible, ethical, knowledgeable person you claim to
be in your e-mail. People who are really interested in caving will learn cave locations by taking the time to get involved with the caving community and getting to know other cavers. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. |