AUSTIN CAVE FESTIVAL Kids crawl through cave for fun About 1,500 people joined conservation and cave groups to explore caves and learn about the environment. _Andrea Lorenz_ (mailto:[email protected]) AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Sunday, October 28, 2007 (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/28/jwj-Cave-Fest-01.html) Jack Lewright didn't want to wait any longer to make his way into Live Oak Cave on Saturday. When a call came from the front of the line for someone who wouldn't mind exploring alone, Jack, 8, stepped forward. Griffin Butler, 4, explores the entrance to Get Down Cave on Saturday with the help of Bill Russell, vice president of Texas Cave Management, at the sixth annual Austin Cave Festival at the Village of Western Oaks Karst Preserve. "He's an adventurer," said Tami Lewright, Jack's mom.
Jack was one of about 1,500 visitors to the sixth annual Austin Cave Festival in Southwest Austin. The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District and the Texas Cave Management Association sponsored the event to teach people how to protect the sensitive area they live in. The caving part was a bonus that comes from the topography of Central Texas, ripe with limestone and holey rocks. The festival came two weeks after three University of Texas students had to be rescued from a local cave when they couldn't find their way out. None of Saturday's young explorers or their family members mentioned that incident, said Julie Jenkins, a cave expert with both organizations. The day was one of many opportunities Austin residents have during the year to learn about cave safety, Jenkins said. The Austin area has one of the largest populations of young cavers in the country, Jenkins said, thanks to programs at local high schools and the city. Although it's fun for adventurers like Jack, the real purpose of the event is to encourage care for the water that flows under the ground — and ultimately ends up in Barton Springs, Jenkins said. For that reason, residents in the Village of Western Oaks Karst Preserve area, where the cave festival was held, should take extra care to use only environmentally friendly pesticides and yard products, said Jennee Galland, an environmental educator for the conservation district. But for those waiting in line to crawl through the two cave entrances Saturday, thoughts were focused on other things: dirt, darkness and wearing a cool helmet with a light on the front. Chris Greene, 9, said that he knew it would be dark in the cave but that he wasn't scared. "I'm good. I'm more worried about him," Chris said, pointing to his dad, Eric Davis. As for Jack, the cave fulfilled his expectations. "You crawl around; you dig in the ground looking for bones," he said excitedly. No, he didn't find any bones, but he did walk away with a couple of "cool" rocks. And, organizers hope, a better understanding of the earth. _http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/28/1028caves.html _ (http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/10/28/1028caves.html) ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com
