Why are americans so secrative about cave locations?
• Most caves are on private land. • Caves in the Western US are “dry” caves, and very fragile, and will not repair themselves after even moderate traffic. Broken is forever. • Many irresponsible Americans don’t take laws against trespassing on another’s property very seriously. Owners are afraid cavers will sue, and cavers are afraid owners will close caves to responsible entry. • One of the zooey things about American law is: A person can be on another’s land without permission, become injured, and then sue the landowner for damages, and win! Another zooey thing is: if a landowner charges a fee or requires permission, he/she is then more liable for damages than if trespassing occurs. Either way, the landowner has potential legal fees even if no damages are awarded. • Experience has shown that if a cave location becomes well known and accessed, the cave suffers not only from caver traffic, and strains on the good will of the owner, but from the “third party syndrome.” Responsible Caver
