Opinion > Editorials
Culprit responsible for caverns' break-in clearly twisted
You have to wonder what kind of sick mind would get a thrill out of vandalizing Kartchner Caverns, one of Cochise County's premier attractions and one of the few living caves in the country
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office is investigating a break-in that was reported by park personnel last Monday morning.
The intruders apparently left the marked trails inside the caverns and walked into the mud overflow stone formations and through an area known as
the "Strawberry passage," the sheriff's office said. An area of straw stalactites also appears to have been damaged.
For anyone who has toured these caverns during normal operations, this is an outrageous offense. The original footprints of the caves' discoverers are still visible in the wet clay, unchanged over the years, thanks to the careful preservation and stewardship efforts of the former landowners, volunteers and state parks workers.
When a person is inside the cave, the feeling of dampness in the air is a remarkable contrast to the desert air outside. And it is that dampness that makes this a live cave system where millions of bats return each year to raise their young.
A system of airtight doors helps maintain the caverns' temperature of about 70 degrees and a humidity level of 99 percent. Some of those doors remained open for hours as a result of the break-in. It is unclear what damage that did to the ecosystem, although the State Park system will be examining that.
Kartchner Caverns is known for its wide array and number of stalactites, stalagmites and other formations, some of which can take hundreds of years to form. According to Ellen Bilbrey, public information officer for Arizona State Parks, Kartchner Caverns is one of the top 10 caves in the world for calcite formations. And those formations were damaged.
When the caverns were discoved in the '70s, the cavers who found them kept it a secret for 20 years until the state could secure the site. And still, damage was done. It is difficult to understand why anyone would want to damage such a wonderful site.
If your home is broken into, there is a feeling of violation. The people of Arizona should feel that way about this intrusion into one of their priceless state treasures.
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office is investigating a break-in that was reported by park personnel last Monday morning.
The intruders apparently left the marked trails inside the caverns and walked into the mud overflow stone formations and through an area known as
the "Strawberry passage," the sheriff's office said. An area of straw stalactites also appears to have been damaged.
For anyone who has toured these caverns during normal operations, this is an outrageous offense. The original footprints of the caves' discoverers are still visible in the wet clay, unchanged over the years, thanks to the careful preservation and stewardship efforts of the former landowners, volunteers and state parks workers.
When a person is inside the cave, the feeling of dampness in the air is a remarkable contrast to the desert air outside. And it is that dampness that makes this a live cave system where millions of bats return each year to raise their young.
A system of airtight doors helps maintain the caverns' temperature of about 70 degrees and a humidity level of 99 percent. Some of those doors remained open for hours as a result of the break-in. It is unclear what damage that did to the ecosystem, although the State Park system will be examining that.
Kartchner Caverns is known for its wide array and number of stalactites, stalagmites and other formations, some of which can take hundreds of years to form. According to Ellen Bilbrey, public information officer for Arizona State Parks, Kartchner Caverns is one of the top 10 caves in the world for calcite formations. And those formations were damaged.
When the caverns were discoved in the '70s, the cavers who found them kept it a secret for 20 years until the state could secure the site. And still, damage was done. It is difficult to understand why anyone would want to damage such a wonderful site.
If your home is broken into, there is a feeling of violation. The people of Arizona should feel that way about this intrusion into one of their priceless state treasures.
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