The Virginia Commission on the Conservation of Caves (hereinafter referred to as the Commission), consisting of eleven citizens of the Commonwealth and representing a wide variety of expertise relating to caves, was established by the 1978 session of the General Assembly pursuant to the provisions of House Joint Resolution No. 10.

The Commonwealth of Virginia, with over 2,500 caves, is one of only five states in the United States with over two thousand known caves. At least five hundred of these, nearly all located in the limestone valleys west of the Blue Ridge (See Figure 1), could be classified as of some significance. They include some of the historically best known caves in the United States and those operated commercially attract many  tourists. About ninety per cent are in private hands, with the rest on federal, state, or local public property. In any comprehensive assessment, some of the smaller rock shelters should also be considered.

Virginia is also fortunate in having within its borders several hundred citizens with extensive knowledge of the many facets of speleology: cave exploration, protection, management arid the scientific study of cave fauna, flora, hydrology, geology, and archeology. The combination of rich cave resources and knowledgeable citizens puts Virginia in a unique position in the field of cave protection. Since the passage of the  Commonwealth's cave protection law (see Appendix I) which served as a model for other states during the late 1960's, several other states have passed more comprehensive laws [e.g., West Virginia, California, Arizona, Texas, and Georgia (1977), and Maryland (1978)]. A short summary of these laws is contained in Appendix IX. Virginia now has both a need and an opportunity to take further steps to protect its caves.

Vandalism, already experienced to an alarming degree, is more serious than most natural phenomena. Cave features and contents, once destroyed or removed, take millennia to reform. Historical material that has been tampered with can never be reconstructed.

The Commission recommends:

1. Rewriting or amending the existing Cave Protection Act to strengthen it with some provisions similar to those contained in more recent statutes enacted in other states, including Maryland and West Virginia.

2. Conducting a two-year archeologic survey of Virginia caves through the Virginia Research Center for Archeology. It is understood that matching federal funding may be available.

3. Establishing a permanent eleven-member Virginia Cave Commission to provide consultative services to State agencies on cave-related matters. This proposed Commission will also study ways of improving the protection of Virginia's caves, including ways to acquaint the citizens of the Commonwealth with the value of this unique resource.