It is my understanding that the Guadalupe District of the Lincoln National Forest in NM is no longer issuing recreational caving permits due to their lack of funding for a cave specialist. I have heard rumors they might be considering allowing commercial guides. In 1998 the NSS agreed to provide volunteer services to Forest Service cave programs in lieu of Fee Demonstration Projects being applied to caves. Over 1/2 million dollars of Volunteer Value has been provided on this district of the forest by cavers since then.
The Forest Service needs to provide funding for a cave specialist for this district, continue to manage their caves, and issue recreational cave permits to the public per their cave management plan. Contact Forest Supervisor: Jacqueline (Jacque) A. Buchanan [email protected] _______________________________________________ NMCAVER mailing list [email protected] http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
