No comment on entrances - strong arguments both ways and not down there often enough to comment - but I am certain it isn't worth falling out over. Have a heated discussion but for goodness sake get together for a beer and a laugh afterwards!
Conservation - I first went into Draenen within about 2 years of it being opened. I was immediately impressed by the amount of care that had been taken to preserve the "boring stuff"(mud banks....). But it wasn't boring - because someone had bothered to tape it shortly after finding it. The tape was a (mild) eyesore, but in later visits I have not seen substantial deterioration in the mud banks near the entrances. So yes, I can see that the original explorers did a great job there and gave it a high priority.
And AndyS, cavers do still trash caves. Maybe more slowly than our forebears, but we do. I have heard the tinkle of broken calcite more than once; I have seen mud spots on some of the most remote formations around. A recent example? White River. It is still gorgeous - but there is a noticeable amount of mud on the rivers that wasn't there a few years ago. Increased traffic thanks to through trips from Titan seems to have (somewhat) increased the rate of decay. Novii don't go there very often.....
Conservation - I first went into Draenen within about 2 years of it being opened. I was immediately impressed by the amount of care that had been taken to preserve the "boring stuff"(mud banks....). But it wasn't boring - because someone had bothered to tape it shortly after finding it. The tape was a (mild) eyesore, but in later visits I have not seen substantial deterioration in the mud banks near the entrances. So yes, I can see that the original explorers did a great job there and gave it a high priority.
And AndyS, cavers do still trash caves. Maybe more slowly than our forebears, but we do. I have heard the tinkle of broken calcite more than once; I have seen mud spots on some of the most remote formations around. A recent example? White River. It is still gorgeous - but there is a noticeable amount of mud on the rivers that wasn't there a few years ago. Increased traffic thanks to through trips from Titan seems to have (somewhat) increased the rate of decay. Novii don't go there very often.....
