But not all of the signs of life were natural. Broken formations marked with muddy handprints, scattered cans, spray-painted names, burnt wooden torches, old batteries and bottles were signs that some larger, more careless animals had visited the cave. The natural beauty of the cave was marred by litter and thoughtless use. Responsible cavers would leave only their footprints and take only pictures, but the people who had used this cave did not seem to care. Over 100 caves are known to punctuate Conservation Department lands, but more than 5,000 occur across the state.
Caves have unique rock formations, fragile species of wildlife and cold, clear flowing waters.
But people can easily deface and destroy the stalactites and stalagmites, scatter the endangered wildlife and dump toxic chemicals into the water of caves. Because of this, the biological and geologic features of these caves need special handling to ensure their protection. The Conservation Department closes many of them, some seasonally, some year-round, to conserve their fragile beauty. A cross section of the Ozarks today would show a network of caves like the holes in a chunk of Swiss cheese. Long ago while rivers cut the Ozarks from above, underground rivers were working at the landscape from below.