• Photo of the vast drapery formations inside Oregon Caves National Monument.

    Oregon Caves

    National Monument Oregon

National Public Lands Day 2010

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Date: September 1, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth Hale, 541-592-2100 ext. 2254

Spend the day underground providing a real service to the cave! Registration is open for the fourth annual National Public Lands Day cave cleanup at Oregon Caves National Monument. We are looking for volunteers to join us on Saturday, September 25 to remove lint and other small debris from the cave. This all-day event includes lunch and the option to go on an evening off-trail caving trip. Participants will be rewarded with a pass good for one day of free admission to any fee site on public lands.

Picking lint is a unique experience. Volunteer lint pickers at Oregon Caves were recently featured in an episode of Oregon Field Guide, available to watch online at www.opb.org. The buildup of lint in Oregon Caves comes from the clothes of approximately 50,000 visitors a year. Lint has ecological impacts in the cave and also degrades cave formations. Lint pickers use tweezers, brushes, and other tools to restore cave walls and clean trail surfaces.

Advance registration is required. Orientation begins at 9:30 AM at the Oregon Caves Visitor Center. To register, contact Elizabeth Hale at 541-592-2100 extension 2254, or by e-mail at Elizabeth_Hale@nps.gov. Anyone interested in volunteering but unable to attend this event is encouraged to call or e-mail to be put on a mailing list for future volunteer opportunities.

National Public Lands Day poster, adobe reader file, 140 KB

Did You Know?

A small cave located near the visitor center.

The marble rocks of Oregon Caves were once a tropical reef that was pushed under the continental edge to a depth of 12 miles and then uplifted to 4,000 feet above sea level.