Disturbance of wildlife, primarily the threatened Townsend's Big Eared Bat, is a major concern. In the past few years caves have seen use from mountain bike riders, frisbee golf tournaments, paintball players and movie crews. The Federal agencies are struggling with budget reductions while trying to keep up with cave management responsibilities. Many of the current visitor impacts are unprecedented, and management policies have not been formulated to deal with them. Therefore, caving parties should leave a cave as they find it.
Scientific collection is professional, selective and minimal.
The collecting of mineral or biological material for display purposes, including previously broken or dead specimens, is never justified, as it encourages others to collect and destroys the interest of the cave. Where there is reason to believe that publication of cave locations will lead to vandalism before adequate protection can be established, the Society will oppose such publication. It is the duty of every Society member to take personal responsibility for spreading a consciousness of the cave conservation problem to each potential user of caves. Without this, the beauty and value of our caves will not long remain with us. While conservation activities such as cave cleanups are shared by many of the area's NSS Grottos, these efforts must compete with exploration, education, recreation and social functions of these organizations.