United Cavers Exploration Team

Our very own Dave T posted this news on UKcaving;

https://ukcaving.com/board/index.php?topic=28872.msg353724;topicseen#new

Sad Times

 :(

Ian

It is a major bummer, but people are always going to carry on going to those sites.

It's a shame NRW have taken this stance as there are certain places I can think of (the choke dam in Parc Mine for one) that would only really be visited by cavers.  With the CAL agreement, our community would have no issues in reporting any change in it's condition back to NRW.  We can no longer do that as a consequence of their new decision without admitting to trespassing.  

It'll be bye bye Llanrwst if the collapse on Level 3 gives way  :whistle:  There must be a few miles of backed up water behind it  :sick:

If NRW are insisting on "Bat Surveys" by anyone who wants to enter (and apparently nothing else) then it would be logical to conclude that their concern is "bats".

That means that it is the "bat folk" within NRW who are calling the shots and imposed this misery on us.

The militant "bat folk" prepared to kick a fuss up within NRW may number only 1 or 2. Certainly it won't be many.

This is another example of a very tiny minority of militants fucking up the world for a much larger number of people who weren't doing anything wrong in the first place (by which I mean there was no disturbance to bats).

It's outrageous.

Ian

It reminds me of that time they spent a 'not insignificant' sum of taxpayers' money putting a gate on the Leete Cave, all so that a singular cave chicken could have a sleep.

The world has gone bat shit crazy  :blink:

There was no evidence that the same cave chicken was in residence - only that there had once been one there.

Outrageous.

Stewart made an offer to NRW to put electronic bat monitors in Parc (level 2) and Rhiwbach as this would be more representative than just having a bat guy visit a couple of times. We hoped that might help - it doesn't seem to have so we will probably withdraw the offer and let them stew. The outdoor pursuits groups are similarly affected. Miles Moulding has a meeting tomorrow - they paid for a bat survey some time ago and so I cannot see NRW barring them as they are a local employer. I hope to talk to Miles later tomorrow to find out the score.

Dave