My point is, that if it’s truly an isolated ecosystem, you have to get back to plant life at some point, which doesn’t grow in caves. If it’s not a truly isolated ecosystem, the Nutty Putty mudskipper’s gonna be just fine.
It’s not an unreasonable assumption, and I, apart from mswas, make no particular distinction between between “notable” wildlife, and whatever happens to live there. It’s a natural system in a fairly remote place, on private land. A few signs stating that you enter at your own risk, period, should be sufficient. I especially object to shutting the cave down for sentimental entombment reasons. Get his carcass out of there and bury him in a place set aside for such things.
No one is assuming it has life. Ogre has pointed out that it has the preconditions to have life.
What if the known entrance is the only point of contact with the outside world?
Aside from that, what makes you think that changing conditions in any given microhabitat won’t affect its inhabitants?
Is there any level of certainty to the notion that this one hole is the only place this cave complex contacts the surface? I have a hard time believing that you could resonably expect to slaughter the cave’s entire population just by popping the cork in.
Heck, given that it would keep out the human traffic and leave them a nice little source of nutrition as a bonus, it might even be net benefit for that mudfish.
Airflow is an important part of most caves’ ecology.
ETA: In short, no one knows, so why make rash ecological decisions without sufficient information?
Are you asking me? Because I don’t give two farts about one cave’s mudfish. Not that I go out of my way to kill them, but it doesn’t take much of a reason to make me put them by the curb.
Yep, that’s pretty much why you shouldn’t be making the decisions.
Next question is, why should you be making the decisions? From where I stand I have as much authority as you. And the guy who should be making the decisions is the guy, guys, or government agency that owns the hole. And if they’re as apathetic about the mudfish as I am, too bad for the mudfish.
Because I have the distinction of having studied caves and cave habitats both in school, and professionally.
A car crashed on a side road near me (the person missed a turn and hit a light-pole). So the side-road has already induced one death this year. Closing the road will prevent any more deaths. So, in conclusion, sealing the road is medically necessary to prevent it from causing any more medical problems, such as death.
And the cave has been around–what? 50,000 years and has caused one (1) death. The road has been around since, say the 1970s or so and caused one (1) death. Clearly the road is the more urgent danger. :rolleyes:
So?
Here is what Real Cavers think of as a fun time. Links should be safe for work and kids with perhaps some mild profanity. I don’t know what the Russian ? ones are saying (it could be X rated in Russian for all I know) and there is a speedo in one.
Nutty Putty Cave is likely a walk in the park by comparision.
Water in the 50s
Water and mud in the 40s
Lots of cold ass water, wind, and noise. Russian ?
Okay, this one is good for about a minute, then gets really strange/artsy. Russian ?, with manly speedo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYpmtBQVbyU&NR=1
This one is just a typical moment for your average caver
More typical stuff
Then here is a segment from the worlds biggest outdoors dumbass from perhaps his most retarded episode ever as he tries to “survive” in northern alabama. Unfortunately he survives yet again despite himself.
Again, this is not analogous – conditions in the cave were the same as they have been, and they are not planning to reopen it. I just think it is a shame when people are deprived of the opportunity to experience nature while doing something they love – all in a misguided effort to “protect” people who are not asking to be protected.
I don’t really think there is nearly as much of a difference here as you seem to believe. In my limited experience rock climbing, I have seen numerous people who were clearly inexperienced and putting themselves at greater risk than they should. If every cliff where there had been a death or serious injury was closed to protect climbers, the sport itself would likely be in jeopardy.
Well, unless you have similar experience, I’d venture to guess that I know quite a bit more about it than you do.
Hi, billfish! Where are you? Where do you cave? I’m a TAG guy. I lived in Scottsboro, AL for several years.
Far away from caves these day 
But played plenty in TAG eons ago. Surprising I couldnt find any TAG videos showing very wet and technical and tight multidrop caves.
Yeah, that’s a bit surprising. Photos just don’t do a drop like Water Works justice. Yeek.
My search stills may really suck, so they might be out there. I was just thinking about that scary muddy ledge you crawl around to do Suprise Pit and the scary escalator you can do Incredible Pit.
For the non cavers, those are places that if you slip/fall you you fall down either a 400 foot pit or a 600 foot pit.
This one? 
