Poia Lake Cave Resource Monitoring and Assessment Entrance to First Sump
Bodenhamer H, Eaton G, Bigfork MT High School Cave Club. 2015. Poia Lake Cave Resource Monitoring and Assessment Entrance to First Sump. Bigfork, MT
Repeat resource condition and impacts monitoring of the Poia Lake Cave conducted summer 2014, following up on 2005 establishment of resource monitoring sites and subsequent 2010 repeat monitoring. Photo monitoring is also repeated. Visitor register data indicates between 50 and 200 people visit Poia Lake annually. Visitation has probably not increased dramatically over the past 10 years and some visitors enter and explore the cave without the park required caving permit. Human caused changes to cave resources detected by photo and VIP monitoring are minor, but show a continuing trend of resource degradation. Observation of recently created rock cairns and one graffito further indicate a trend of continuing resource degradation, but additionally suggest that visitors are less experienced in cave exploration and poorly versed in cave conservation. An improved and more extensive search for bat sign concluded that some thick deposits of organic debris further into the cave are not bat guano, but bats do use the first 800 feet of the cave. Bat use in this part of the cave is indicated by several area with scattered bat droppings which are probably “fresh” (from the last year when water flowed and dripped on the floor where deposits were observed).
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Bodenhamer, Hans; Eaton, Gabby; Bigfork MT High School Cave Club
- Date of Issue
- 2015-07
- Units
- CRCO , GLAC
- Keywords
- Caves, Geology, Karst, mineralology, Photo monitoring, Poia Lake, resource monitoring
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Geology and Soils | Subsurface Geologic Processes | Cave/Karst Features and Processes