Cave Vandalized By Partygoers

The Missouri Bat Census discovered on Nov. 12 that someone had vandalized a McDonald County cave near Jane.

Executive Director Kirsten Alvey-Mudd said a group of people in their early 20s held a series of parties in the cave, leaving behind spray paint graffiti on the cave walls along with a large amount of litter. She said the last time she had been there was Sept. 10,. She was shocked upon returning to find the state the cave was in.

"It wasn't a pristine cave when we first entered. Over the years we have had a few pieces of graffiti. I'd say we pick up less than a couple of bags of trash every year. We have been acquiring funds to gate the entrance to keep people out. This round, when I walked in, there were massive amounts of (graffiti). Some of the letters are two and three feet tall. And trash as far as the eye could see."

Beer cans, broken bottles and paper plates litter the cave floor. In a Facebook post, Alvey-Mudd said birthday candles, balloons, to-go food boxes and spray paint can lids were also left behind. The group also apparently shot off bottle rockets in the cave, as evidenced by the garbage that was found, she said.

"I can't imagine how loud that would have been in an enclosed environment, not to mention how detrimental that would be to bats," she said.

Before the incident, the Missouri Bat Census had been working in the cave to restore the gray bat population. Alvey-Mudd said there are five species of bats living in the cave, three of which are not endangered, but two that are. The gray bat and the northern long-eared bat are both endangered. Additionally, the cave is home to two species of salamanders -- the Oklahoma salamander and the grotto salamander -- which are Missouri state species of concern, as well as other salamanders. Frogs, moths, spiders and other insects live in the cave as well.

"It's a very teeming cave with lots of wildlife, both endangered and non-endangered," Alvey-Mudd said. "It's also a known Indian site and a protected archeological site. They picked the wrong one to party in, in general. It's very heartbreaking."

She said the cleanup effort is going to be massive and may take quite a while, as conservationists do not wish to further disturb the cave's ecosystem. The reason for the trip to the cave on Nov. 12 was to monitor pre-hibernating bats, she said.

"We can't be going in and making a bunch of noise. We also have summer gray bats, so we can't be in there in the summer for the same reason. It may take multiple seasons in the spring and fall. It will take a concentrated effort.

See Cave Page 3A