Cave Taping and Conservation.

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Time for a new thread on this I think . Give me time and I will add some more photos. Personally I think taping is essential. We like to think we are ahead of the field at Reservoir with the technique we use ( unproven ? ). The Frozen Deep would have been ruined without our taped paths which means some %95 has never been touched. This photo I took today. It shows the stainless steel risers and white electric farm tape that we now use. With any tape it is important that its not touched by hand. This tricky bit of path shows the tape kept well away from where hands or boots would be. The handline on the wall stops accidental slip ups off the route.


 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Ineffective old linen tape in Shatter Cave. This has now degraded an in places where in contact with stal has become stalagmited and brittle.





Basically its no good putting tape where it will become muddy and indistinguishable from the area its meant to protect.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Stalagmited tape now in fragments as it has become brittle. The model is on the path route where the tape should have been. The danger of putting tape on stal in an active cave . Withyhill tapes were also stalagmited and brittle over 20 years.

 
Ineffective old linen tape in Shatter Cave. This has now degraded an in places where in contact with stal has become stalagmited and brittle.



P5120185press.jpg
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
More recent taping in Shatter Cave though you will note that the nice white stalagmite is not protected.



Not particularly effective old taping in Shatter Cave.


 

martinm

New member
1. tape should never be attached to that which it is supposed to be protecting.

2. how are you supposed to install tape without touching it?

3. this subject will be discussed at the upcoming BCA C&A meeting.
 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
A mixture of taping in Upper Flood Swallet. Effective in the short term. I am not a fan of notices. We had them in Reservoir but removed them later. A couple remain but are they necessary where there is a leader system ? Personally I think caves such as this should charge a conservation fee. There is an honesty box at the MCG hut it may be disregarded by some and does not imply its for the caves protection. Our mile of tape in Reservoir was funded by the ?2 trip fee. Perhaps there is some legal implication here. I really do not know.

 

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
Ebay ?11.50.

Single Roll of 20mm  WHITE

Electric Fencing Tape

1 x 200 meters

This tape has 6 stainless steel conductors woven in the tape.

As I said it is unproven in caves but survives well for many years in the open air slightly losing its whiteness to grey. It is incredibly strong. Luckily it has proved to be very bat friendly having just the right texture for them to grip. We usually had about six on the tapes over winter.
 

martinm

New member
You are to be congratulated for your efforts, however, this is what you should be aiming for:-

03_13_05_54.JPG


This passage is taped. (I know where the tape is.) No cloning of pics necessary with this method. Orange synthetic rope is being used, you could also use white if preferred, but that would show up in pics.
 

bograt

Active member
Yes, nice pic Mel, err--- why does it look as though the cameraman is the wrong side of the line???
 

Mark Wright

Active member
We have a section of new passage in Rowter Hole that I was lucky enough to discover which is similar to the first photograph posted on this thread. The rope in our case does need to be permanently attached to thus guiding cavers along a set path and therefore, in my mind, negating the need for any tape, which would simply ruin the spectacle.

It is envisaged that only experienced cavers are likely to visit this part of the cave as the SRT techniques to gain access are quite technical. As such, it would be hoped they'd be experienced enough to think carefully about the conservation issues and how best to travel through the cave.

Unfortunately even experienced cavers are not always so well educated in cave conservation and some are simply vandals. It doesn't really matter what conservation measures you employ, the vandals will still do their business, well, apart from a locked gate of course. Unless what the gate was protecting was pretty special and I could get access to it at any reasonable time and without having to be shepherded through the cave with a leader, that wouldn't be acceptable to me.

We hear of the vandalised caves often when discussing access and conservation issues but the examples given are extreme cases. A notable one in Derbyshire was Gimli's Dream in Merlin's Mine, near Stoney Middleton. Unfortunately I was never lucky enough to have seen it in all its glory. I've seen most of the rest of Derbyshire though and its all pretty good really, well except for all the ugly, rusty, unlocked gates in Peak/Speedwell.

There are muddy boot and handprints marking the route through the very pretty high level passages in Rowter but I would much rather see that than tape in any of the new bits. 

Just before you get to the Canals in the Berger there is an A4 laminated warning sign hanging on a bolt. Everybody reads it, if only to try and ridicule it, but it does have very important information on it that most cavers take on board.

Perhaps we could try something similar for conservation measures. Maybe its already been tried but if we took some good photographs of any new discoveries, laminated them with the important conservation information clearly marked on them and placed in strategic places it would do as good, if not a better job than tape. 

The conservationists need to give some serious thought to educating others. With the majority of our new cavers coming from university clubs, perhaps the powers that be should engage with CHECC and formulate a plan.

I've just noticed another 12 posts on this thread since I started mine, so apologies if it doesn't fit in. I haven't got time to read any, I'm off to the pub.

Mark Wright



 

graham

New member
Mark Wright said:
There are muddy boot and handprints marking the route through the very pretty high level passages in Rowter but I would much rather see that than tape in any of the new bits.

Really? 

Mark Wright said:
The conservationists need to give some serious thought to educating others. With the majority of our new cavers coming from university clubs, perhaps the powers that be should engage with CHECC and formulate a plan.

I have given it serious thought and I have concluded that in far too many cases the education cannot be carried out in time. Sad, but true.
 

martinm

New member
The Old Ruminator said:
Personally I think caves such as this should charge a conservation fee.

There is certainly a case for that, though in the Peak BCA funds taping and other works via DCA.
 

martinm

New member
bograt said:
Yes, nice pic Mel, err--- why does it look as though the cameraman is the wrong side of the line???

Lol, I can assure you the cameraman is on the right side of the tape! It comes down from the upper left, (look near the cavers right foot, you can 'just' make out the tape), then goes around the lovely column in the middle of the pic towards where the cameraman is taking the shot from.

Just goes to show, you can tape caves and have the tape virtually invisible! Put it at knee height if possible, use rope cos that's much tougher than tape, then job done...
 

ianball11

Active member
I really appreciate taping, it goes a long way to stopping me being the cause of terrible damage, and personally tape in a photo doesn't bother me.
 
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