, 205
Pleasant Valley Cave, located in High Ridge, Missouri, about 22 miles southwest of St. Louis, has been mismanaged and severely abused over the last 50 years. In 2023, the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy assumed management of the cave from the Jefferson County, Missouri, Parks and Recreation Department.
MCKC has since installed an ACCA bat gate, removed trash and graffiti, established a long-term management plan, and implemented security at the cave entrance. Pleasant Valley is not only a significant speleological resource, being almost a mile long, and once housed approximately 20,000 grey bats, but it also has ties to the famous yellow bat sticker seen on caver gear worldwide. MCKC is returning the once sealed entrance to its natural setting in the hope that the natural air flow will return and be suitable once again for bats. The talk will focus on the lead up to management, fund raising, gate construction, clean ups, and long term goals for the project.
Tony Schmitt, schmitt.tony@gmail.com
President - Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy
Pleasant Valley Cave Manager