INDUSTRY, CAVERS AND A STATE AGENCY PARTNER TO PROTECT CRITICAL HABITAT

On October 23, 2008, Eric Hertzler of Springfield Plateau Grotto visited Camden County, Missouri to update some cave locations there.  He met Gary, an old friend employed at Ha Ha Tonka State Park who said the rear sinkhole entrance gate of River Cave had collapsed due to heavy rains months before.
River Cave has been determined to be the fifth most biodiverse cave in the state by Dr. Bill Elliott of the Missouri Department of Conservation.  Among its many species are the summer maturnity colony of federally and state endangered gray bats (Myotis grisescens) numbering as many as 30,000; the small hibernating group of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis), as well as stygobitic species such as the southern cavefish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) and grotto salamanders (Eurycea spelaeus).
In contacting Larry Webb of the state park, it was learned that state funding for a new gate was not available until at least spring of 2009, leaving the cave and its inhabitants vulnerable to disturbance by unauthorized visitors.  Eric then asked SPG president Jon Beard if SPG could provide the material for the gate.  State regulations make it very difficult, if not impossible, for a private organization to donate money to a state agency; however, the state could accept donated material.
Timing is EVERYTHING.  Geology professor and SPG member Dr. Doug Gouzie, just weeks before, had learned that 3M Foundation had begun a program in which it could fund projects promoting and sustaining biodiversity.  At his suggestion, Jon contacted people in the company he worked for, 3M Company, to begin a process of applying for a grant.  With help of his human resources manager, Mitch Miller, the application was made.
Just after Eric asked if SPG could provide the funds for gating River Cave, Jon learned the grant proposal was approved for $10,000 to gate one or more biodiverse caves in Missouri!  The gating was a GO!
With Larry’s help, a list of materials were price quoted by Camdenton Steel Supply, Eric ordered the materials on behalf of SPG.
Beginning November 20th, park employees with assistance of SPG members Eric Hertzler and Brian Goeppner and Lake Ozark Grotto members Ken Long , Christen Easter and Darren Donley removed as much of the cracked and damaged old wall as possible using jack hammers, etc.  The wall consisted primarily of sandstone blocks and concrete over three feet thick.
                On December 2nd, Eric and Jon gave a check to Camdenton Steel, and in a flatbed truck, the steel was delivered.  On hand the first day of new gate construction were five state park employees, three members of LOG (Ken Long, Brian Cook and Bob Gitchell )and four members of SPG (Roy Gold, Charley Young, Eric and Jon).  The delicate, difficult but most important task of cutting, transporting, drilling and welding the vertical posts (five) was begun.  Because the sinkhole entrance is occasionally prone to flooding of Dry Hollow, the gate had to be fortified.  Each post was inserted and eventually welded into steel footing both at the bedrock floor and bedrock ceiling.  The footing was fixed to bedrock by two 18-inch long one-inch steel rods driven into 12-inch deep drill holes inserted into the footing to which it was welded.  Up top, steel was cut to size with an oxy-acetylene cutter.
       On December 3rd, Eric and Jon returned to help the park staff (Larry, Gary, Keith, Tom and Sonny) continue the construction of the vertical posts which had to be aligned exactly to accept the horizontal four-inch angle iron bars that were fortified with two 1.5-inch angle iron stiffeners.  By the end of the second day, the vertical posts were done as well as the bottom four horizontal bars, resting on 6 x 4 angle iron hangers.
                By the end of the week, the gate was completed including buttresses welded from the footing at the floor to the ceiling for each vertical post to fortify the gate added strength against flooding.