By Bill Walker

Bill Birdsall, always on the lookout for potential cave digs, has had his eye

on a particular piece of property in Ocala for years. Years ago he noticed a small karst feature in someone’s front yard. It was a small fissure crack opening that had been filled with debris over the years. When he saw that the owner was doing some major landscaping in their yard, he contacted them to see if he could dig on the feature to see if it opened up into a cave. Surprisingly they said yes!

On December 28, 2012 Sean Roberts and Bill Walker

meet Bill Birdsall met for the dig after work. We quickly opened up a void that had been filled with everything from

car parts to field fencing. We dug until after dark, and while the dig had lots of potential, we couldn’t open it up into anything significant in one evening. We abandoned it that night and several days later the owner finished their landscaping and filled in the hole.

Here are some pictures from recent trips into Fishbone Cave and Tucks Cave. Both caves are located in Marion County. Tucks is one of the longer and more extensive

Photos by Jon Singley

Marion County Parks and Recreation staff, some of who are also members of the Florida Speleological Society, recently took the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp into Hitchhiker Cave in Ocala.

Photos:

1. Donald Piel, 11 crawls out of a small passage as he
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   and other kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit a cave Tuesday in Ocala.

2. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff members Becky Nazaruk, left, and Bill Birdsall, far right, help John Walker, 7, up the steep entrance out of the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
3. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Clay Parton, center, helps kids up the steep bank out of the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
4. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff members Becky Nazaruk, left, and Bill Birdsall, right, help Luis Pacanis, 7, up the steep entrance out of the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
5. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff members Clay Parton, left, and Bill Birdsall watch as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to explore the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
6. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff members Clay Parton, left, and Bill Birdsall check out returned helmets before packing them away after the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp got a chance to visit a cave Tuesday in Ocala.
7. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Clay Parton helps Tyler Penninton, 9, up the steep bank out of the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
8. Zoe Burgess, 10, climbs around inside the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
9. Sara Walker, 10, looks around inside the cave as she and other kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to explore it Tuesday in Ocala.
10. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Bill Birdsall helps Reggie Henny, 11, down the steep entrance into the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
11. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Clay Parton explains the safe way to wear a caver helmet before the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
12. Kids from the Marion County Parks and Recreation FireWise Nature Camp look at how they look in caver helmets as they get a chance to visit a cave Tuesday in Ocala.
13. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Mariangela Morse helps Jake Giltner, 10, adjust his caving helmet as he and other kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit a cave Tuesday in Ocala.
14. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Becky Nazaruk helps Triston Burgess, 7, up the steep entrance out of the
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    cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.

15. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Bill Birdsall explains how nature survives in a cave environment as kids from the FireWise Nature Camp gather around inside the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
16. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Kitty Markley helps each child down the steep entrance into the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
17. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Clay Parton helps Zach Coates, 7, down the steep entrance into the cave as the kids from the FireWise Nature Camp get a chance to visit
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    the cave Tuesday in Ocala.

18. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff members lead kids from the FireWise Nature Camp down the trail toward the cave Tuesday in Ocala.
19. Marion County Parks and Recreation staff member Bill Birdsall shows kids a photo of how the cave that they are about to visit was used as a dump site before members of the Florida Speleological Society cleaned it up. The society now manages the area for the current land owner. The kids from the FireWise Nature Camp got a chance to visit the cave Tuesday in Ocala.

Photos By Sean Roberts

Brooks Cave is one of the most heavily decorated caves in the state of Florida. It was discovered by Sean Roberts in 2003 and is in the top ten of the longest dry caves in Florida. Only a few pictures from the cave have ever been published. On April 2, 2011 Sean took a group into the cave for a photo trip.

On March 27, 2011 members of the Florida Speleological Society accompanied Sean Roberts on a sump diving trip into Catacombs Cave in Marion County Florida. Sean dove an underwater passage in the Cross Florida Barge Canal. Catacombs cave is one of the few dry caves in Florida with discernable water flow (another one being Ocala Caverns.) After being silted out, the CFBC passage will clear within an hour or so. Sean dove a side passage in the CFBC and explored about 150 feet of underwater passage, but because he was unable to find any tie off points for his dive line he had to abort the dive.

Trip members were Sean Roberts, Becky Roberts, Andrey Yefimov, Richard Dreher, Jim Killion, Mike Gordon, Kitty Markley, Dave Lizdas, and Arianys Lizdas.

A full trip report and photos can be found at Richard Dreher’s site.

Trip Report and Photos:
http://gainesvilleactivities.com/news-reviews-commentary/catacombs-cave-exploration-ocala-fl

Sean Roberts Sump Dive in Catacombs Cave. Photo: Richard Dreher

By Bill Walker

This is the first of a series of trip reports. Each will detail the first day of exploration in a new virgin cave or virgin passage in a known cave. We are on the verge of a lot of new discoveries in Marion County, and I’ll share them in this series as we find them (hopefully.)

Cave 1
Sean and I went in search of new cave on Tuesday night, 1-26-2010. We found this virgin cave that evening in Marion County. The airflow is very good coming in the entrance.The passages are very low and muddy. At one point while we were exploring, Sean asked me how big the passage was in front of me and I replied that it was an inch taller than the rock hammer! We finally worked our way into a breakdown room where we could stand up and walk around, but unfortunately the breakdown was terminal. It was also SCARY unstable which will prevent us from digging in this room. Unfortunately all the air flows into this room. We exited the cave without exploring all of the passages.

THE PROBLEM:

What would you do if you knew about a beautiful karst landscape that was being heavily vandalized? Ocala Caverns was once a beautiful park with gardens and a cave but was now overgrown with broken glass, trash, and graffiti.

THE SOLUTION:

Jon Singley spearheaded a three step clean-up operation of securing the 7 acre quarried property that was used for a Tarzan movie set in the 1930’s and then a show-cave during the 1950s and 1960s.

STEP 1: CLEAR THE AREA

On September 12, 2009, 38 volunteers from the Florida Speleological Society, Central Florida Cavers , and the Tampa Bay Grotto converged on the Ocala Caverns property to remove trash and graffiti, clean up the fence line, plug any dangerous holes, and cutback the overgrowth.

STEP 2: REPAIR THE FENCE:

The Perimeter fence is the first line of defense (no pun intended). On September 19th the Belleview Fence Company repaired or replaced the damaged fencing making the area secure.

Many locals citizens have been worried about children getting into the cave, and concerned cavers have been frustrated with the trash accumulation and constant vandalism with this same cave.

These two major problems can be cured by one solution: a really well-built gate.

STEP 3: GATE THE CAVE:

On September 23, a few of the more handy FSS members volunteered to wield a bat friendly gate in place with angle iron donated from Blankenship and Pasteur Inc.

OTHER:

Now that the fence is secure, the cave entrance gated, the grounds cleaned up, and dangerous holes covered, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office has a great place to train Canine units. Andy’s Signs manufactured placards that were placed around the area reminding any would be trespassers that their may be a surprise waiting for anyone that enters without permission.

The entire project was extremely successful and the story was covered by the Ocala Star-Banner. There has been no evidence of any vandalism, the locals are grateful for having the eyesore beautified, and the property made safe. Thank you to everyone that donated time, effort, and materials. Ocala Caverns is safe as well as protected for future generations to enjoy. It’s great to have all the cavers come together for a common good. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

– Phil Walker

By Bill Walker

On 2-22-09, Sean and Becky Roberts, Bill Birdsall, and Bill Walker took a trip to Briar Cave. The purpose of the trip was to photograph fossils in the Southern Area for the Florida Museum of Natural

History. While we were there, Sean also took photos of the cave, including a spectacular shot of the Subway Tunnel.

Captions

1. Bill Walker in the Subway Tunnel
2. Fossils in the Southern Area
3. Calappilia brooksi crab carapace (left) and Periarchus floridanus echinoid test (right)
4. Bill Walker pointing to a Calappilia brooksi
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   crab carapace (his left
   hand) seen in situ with a Eupatagus antillarum echinoid test (his right
   hand)

5. Phyllacanthus mortoni (regular echinoid) and Eupatagus antillarum (irregular echinoid) test fragments
6. Becky Roberts in a “fossil pocket”
7. A possible new crab candidate
8. Bill Birdsall in another “fossil pocket”
9. From top to bottom: Periarchus floridanus (echinoid test) and two Eupatagus antillarum (echinoid tests)
10. Bill Birdsall in the Southern Area
11. Becky Roberts and Bill Birdsall in the Southern Area
12. Becky Roberts and Bill Birdsall in the Southern Area
13. Bill Walker in the Southern Area
14. Bill Walker in the Southern Area

Photos by Cara Gentry
Report by Kristen Boyesen with
additional notes by Jim Sprague and Cara Gentry

Two days after Christmas FSS members Mike, Kitty, and my daughter, Cara led Jim and me into the magical world underground at Jennings Cave. We were visiting from Cleveland and had this treat as part of our tour of the area. Neither of us had ever been in a cave that did not have a walkway, handrails, and a light show, so it was a totally new experience.

Descending into a pit by knotted rope (with Mike belaying us using safety gear, of course) was an exciting way to start the experience. Kitty descended first, found the lock on the gate had been cut, and removed the broken glass that vandals had left behind. Jim and I found the toeholds and made it down just fine. Cara followed, and last down was Mike.

We explored the many passages, posed for photos under the claw, scooted down the slide, discovered fossils, lamented over the new graffiti and the destroyed scientific equipment installed by USF researchers, looked up to see the portrait of Jennings, saw roots from the surface dangling into space hunting for moisture, and marveled at the nooks and crannies washed out by water over the years. There was no water in the pool, so we did not see the crayfish. Neither Jim nor I care for really tight places, so did not try the wormhole. Jennings is a great cave for newcomers to be introduced to caving.

It was lots of fun, and thanks to Kitty, Mike and Cara for the opportunity!

Captions

1. Mike prepares to enter Jennings Cave
2. Kitty prepares to enter Jennings Cave
3. Kristen descends by knotted rope
4. Jim follows
5. Into the hole
6. Checking out fossils
7. Watch out! Jim, Kristen, Cara
8. Kristen climbs out
9. Jim climbs

By Bill Walker
Photos: Adam Scherer

On October 1st 2006, Aaron King, Adam Scherer, and Bill Walker went to Briar Cave to take pictures and work on our dig. We hauled digging tools, photography equipment, and vertical gear (yes vertical gear) into the cave. We set up a rappel over the Balcony and into the Lake Room. Adam traveled through the Endless Room to the other side of the Lake Room.

Bill rappelled

while Adam snapped photos.

We then dropped all our climbing gear and traveled to our dig. We’ve been working on this dig off and on for the past couple of years. This was Aaron’s first cave trip and he jumped right into the hole and started hacking the tough clay. We’ll definitely bring this guy back if we ever break through into virgin cave. He earned it that day! We added an extra 5 feet of passage to Briar that day from his efforts!

After

digging for about 3 hours, we took a trip over to the Southern Area to see if it was open. It was open, but just barely, with only a couple of inches of air space. We checked out the Southern Area, but the air was REALLY bad in here. We were breathing heavy and our hearts were racing. We didn’t spend much time in here, and as soon as we got back into Hydrophobiac’s Horror, we could breath normally again. One positive note is that the farm is removing the huge piles of horse manure that overly this area of the cave. Hopefully, the bad air problem will become less and less of a issue.

Bill Walker rappels in Briar Cave

Aaron King, Bill Walker, and Adam Scherer