Well, the subdivision is growing rapidly around our cave preserve. We have a new neighbor to the east who has built a white plastic fence along the property line between our driveway and their property. At least everyone will have a landmark to guide them io the property. It used to be difficult to find our entrance lane to the property. Before the fence was built, all there was out there was pastureland. We also have two new neighbors bordering our lane on the west side, but they are fairly close to Vago Road, so we shouldn't be a nuisance to them.

First, I want to thank Tim Brown for all his work as the chairman of the management committee for the preserve. Tim has stepped down as the chairman effective December 2007 due to his personal workload. I remember the first time I met Tim. It was the open house we had at the preserve back in 2001. It was the first property acquired by the conservancy. Mark Manor and I drove West Virginia Cave Conservancy out to the open house to be greeted by Tim, who served us burgers and hotdogs. We chatted for a while and ended up not even visiting the entrance.

Later that year, when the kiosk was delivered, Mark, Gordon Birkhimer, and I went out and installed the kiosk in the rain. If it was raining, it must have been Memorial Day. Shortly after that, Tim invited me to serve on the management committee for the preserve.

After it was noticed that some locals were driving around the fields of the property, we decided to install a sign stating only emergency vehicles were allowed past the parking area. That was before there were any houses and neighbors. Wouldn't you know it, one of the first homes that was constructed was on the lot right next to our parking lot; Now we had to consider constructing a changing area to be good neighbors. Only The Open Cave trouble with that was the only place we could dig any holes was the place we had installed our kiosk.  All the other places had underlying karst for bedrock.

Tim and I discussed this issue via e-mail back in November and we decided to relocate our "Emergency Vehicles" sign to the top of the hill near the sink. The consensus was that we'd rather risk a rare incident of locals driving through the fields than offend our neighbors when we change. So of course, when I went out there to move the sign, it was frozen in the ground.

So, later in the spring, I plan to go out there and relocate the sign to the top of the sink. This should make all cavers happy; they won't have to hike all over the property looking for the right sinkhole. And it should make our neighbors happy, not having to see us changing in front of their cookouts.