Biologists, cavers conduct frigid exploration of Ozark County caves
Imagine lying on your stomach in a dark, cramped space, your body submerged in a 34-degree stream with only your shoulders and head above water, where there’s just a foot of airspace. Using only the strength in your arms, you pull body along a dark, 1,200-foot abyss with only a headlamp to provide a directed stream of light in front of you.
While this is the description of some people’s nightmares, it’s just another day for volunteers with the Missouri Bat Census. And those exact conditions are what the team encountered when they traveled to Ozark County in late February, just as rounds of winter weather blanketed the area and temperatures dipped below freezing.
“I’m sure some Cloud 9 members thought we’d lost our minds when we waded through thigh-deep water to one cave in 38-degree temps without blinking an eye,” Missouri Bat Census founder Kirsten Alvey-Mudd said. “But in all honesty, it was nothing. We were going to be belly crawling in the cave’s spring mud for the next three hours, so it didn’t really faze us much.”
The group explored nearly a dozen caves at Cloud 9 Ranch in Caulfield and one privately owned Ozark County cave during their trip here.
A continued tradition
Kirsten said the group has been conducting biological monitoring of the Cloud 9 Ranch caves for a number of years, and the group is always especially thankful for Cloud 9 member Lee Krout, who tries to make the group’s experience a good one. This year Krout provided the group, which sometimes camps outside on their expeditions, with ATVs and indoor sleeping trailers.
“This year’s winter survey brought 6 to 8 inches of snow to every trail and bluff, along with 20 to 30 degree conditions... warm sleeping and meal prep makes for a more efficient stay,” Kristen said.
Caving
Kristen, joined by members Jill and Kyle Lewis, explored two caves the first day at Cloud 9 Ranch and seven the next day. They followed up their trip with a exploration of a privately owned cave in Ozark County they had not previously explored.
To follow along with the Ozark County cave trip through photos, see page 14 in the print edition of the Ozark County Times.