Cow Springs-Steps and Boardwalk

So, I see on Cavediver that a boardwalk and steps are being constructed at Cow Springs. And so it begins. . . .

I certainly have an opinion about that ,but wondered what others thought

Personally, I have mixed emotions on the whole thing. I always liked the pure undeveloped landscape and the feel of nature as I walked down the slope to the spring. However, after my girlfriend sprained her ankle and resulted in her falling with doubles on her back, I am beginning to see the merit of the steps. Since she now has a rebreather it might not be as big of a concern for her though.

I would have to lean slightly towards leaving it the way it was. I did not vote, since I am not all in one camp on the matter.

I think we have plenty of easily accessible caves via a nice set of stairs. I appreciate the thought and effort going into the work on the stairs. However, some sites should stay as it is so that only the truly dedicated shall venture there.

There seems to be an assumption that more physically fit /athletic divers that have no access issues are better divers.

Puttzer:

There seems to be an assumption that more physically fit /athletic divers that have no access issues are better divers.

Click to expand...

Not saying that. Cow is or was not that inaccessible. I know of places like Church, Hectadon, clear cut and the like that are much more difficult IMHO to access.

As someone who practices the very best cave conservation she can, but is no spring chicken, I'm all for stairs.

Steps are not going to invite bad divers. The bad divers are already there. Steps do not make bad divers. The bad divers are already made.

I prefer the natural beauty of the steps as well, but completely understand the reasoning behind the steps. If you really want to keep out bad divers contact the CDS and lobby them to brig back the Abe Davis requirement or make it a guided dive! However, even that will not keep out the bad divers.

Walk ways and stairs do a lot more than just make it easy for divers to enter and exit a cave. They are the best solution we have to reduce environmental impact in any medium or heavy use area. For an extreme case, consider the Devil's Millhopper. When I first lived in Gainesville back in the early sixties, there was no path to the bottom. I remember it well as we found sharks teeth, pieces of fossil coral, shells as well as other fossils. I also remember the happy gurgling sound as the converging streams emptied at the bottom of this 120' deep sink hole they estimate to be over 10,000 years old. Sure, we had a lot of fun scooting down the sides to get to the bottom but it came with a price we did not anticipate. Now that bottom is covered in 18-36" of mud and humans are no longer welcome to walk on the bottom. The last time I was there, the water had backed up and part of the walkway was under water. They estimate well over 50 years for it to return to normal. That's just sad. This could have probably been avoided if a walkway had been put in a lot earlier. We didn't need another lake.


Walk ways and stairs do a lot to alleviate the trampling effects associated with foot travel. No, you may not see an individual's impact but it's there. Even the act of climbing out over the rocks causes erosion and will ultimately cause damage to the cave. Putting in a walkway and stairs limits the effects of all this and will allow us, our children and even our children's children to enjoy the beauty for a long, long time.

I think the poll needs at least one other option. Stairs to prevent erosion, but not a huge boardwalk.

cavemn:

I think the poll needs at least one other option. Stairs to prevent erosion, but not a huge boardwalk.

Click to expand...

Their is not a long boardwalk. Only what was necessary to get over the eroded areas and to stable ground. It is not going to the parking lot like Peacock.



In this picture I am standing almost at the end of the boardwalk.