October 20, 1998 Dear Sirs: As you are no doubt aware, the West Virginia Department of Highways is planning to upgrade U.S. Route 219 from a two-lane road to a four-lane access highway in Monroe and Greenbrier counties. What you may not be aware of is that there are four alternative routes planned for the Organ Cave area, and that all of these routes will cause major damage to the cave in some manner. In addition, there is another cave--Foxhole #1--developed directly over Organ. Of all the four routes, Alternative B is the most-straight forward. It follows the present route of U.S. Route 219. However, this route traverses the areas where the cave development is the most extensive and the cave passages the most shallow. The proposed route will be only about 100 feet above Organ's Handley Room and Left Hand Passage, and it is only about 30 and 70 vertical feet above Foxhole's Mynock Room and Desolation Row. The Handley Room is 300 feet long and 40 feet wide; Left Hand is 750 feet long and 20 feet wide. Desolation Row is 80 feet wide, more than 200 feet long, and the Mynock Room is about 140 feet long and 40 feet. All have ceiling heights that vary between 15 and 40 feet. Because of this extremely small vertical distance between the cave and the proposed highway, any road cut along this route could be disastrous for the cave and exceedingly dangerous to any heavy equipment operator working over the cave. Alternative G4 follows the Alternative B route over the southern reaches of the two caves. This means that this route too will be constructed directly over the four rooms. Alternative G4 then turns east toward the Masters and Hedricks Entrances. Here it will be constructed directly over the Debevoid, the third largest room in Foxhole. This room is 50 by 70 feet in size, with ceiling heights of 25 to 30 feet. It is located almost directly on the surface. This route will also cross the northeastern portion of Organ Cave, passing over cave passages with less than 75 feet of overburden. Some of these passages are very large. The route would be also be located very close to the Hedricks, Great Escape, and the Masters Entrances. There would thus be an extremely high potential danger for damage to Organ’s long stream passages via storm water runoff into these streams.

Alternative G4A turns east at the Organ Cave Schoolhouse and misses the Caldwell Syncline cave development. It does, however, cross no less than 27 cave passages, many of which are quite large. This route crosses directly over the Saltpeter Passage, where the Confederate saltpeter vats are located. It also crosses all the northeastern cave passages that Alternative G4 crosses, and will cross two Foxhole passages-- including the incredibly-decorated Jewel Box--at locations where there is probably not more than 20 feet of overburden. These passages are a part of upstream Foxhole, so there is also a danger of contaminating the entirety of the Foxhole stream. In addition, this route contains all of Alternative G4's disadvantages with the Hedricks, Great Escape, and Masters Entrances.

Alternative G1 turns at the Organ Cave Schoolhouse and goes northwest from the 219-63 junction. It crosses five cave passages, the shallowest of which is about 50 feet below the surface of the ground. However, the two entrances located in this area are the only entrances that provide assess to the central portion of cave system. Road construction in this area could cut the cave system in two, leaving West Virginia with two very-poor remnants of what had been a truly magnificent cave. In addition, storm water runoff directed into these entrances could cause significant damage to this half of the cave system. Organ Cave is the second-longest cave in this state. It has huge rooms, immense halls, and long stream passages. It is a priceless gem and a wonder to be treasured and protected. Organ contains the largest collection saltpeter vats in West Virginia. These are one of two of the best-preserved collections in the state, and they are one of the largest and best-preserved collections in the United States. At present, 37 vats remain from the Civil War and five from the War of 1812. Because the confederate operation was shutdown by Union troops and the workers captured, these vats were left in a literal state of "suspended operation." They thus provide a priceless view of a saltpeter mining operation.

Organ is very rich in its bio-diversity. To date, 12 different troglobitic species have been found in the cave, including seven species of bats: Eastern pipistrelle, Little Brown, Indiana myotis sodalis, Small Footed, Big Brown, Northern Long-Ear, and the Silver-Haired. Myotis is a federally-endangered bat. The Small Footed is an extremely rare bat, and Organ contains the largest population of this species in the state. Organ is one of only four commercial caves in the state. It has recently been completely renovated by the new owners, Janie and Sam Morgan. New modern lighting has been added, the commercial entrance restored to itsoriginal appearance, and the entire operation upgraded to a modern standard. Thus, the cave not only contributes to the area’s economy as a commercial cave, but it has --over the past 50 years--attracted cave explorers from all over the world. Together, Organ and Foxhole Caves form a three-level dendritic maze cave that -- particularly in eastern Organ -- is developed along the axis of the Caldwell Syncline. Organ is one of the finest examples of geology underground, and cavers entering the commercial entrance must descend and ascend both sides of the syncline.

The cave contains canyonways, large rooms, and phreatic and vadose passage development, fault-plane rappels, and areas of near-vertical bedding. Small streams, located in the northern and eastern parts of the two caves, bring water into the two caves. These flow into dendritic mazes that feed into the main stream passages, and the overall cave system contains at least nine major streams, many of which travel for extremely long distances underground. Three of these lie directly over each other along the axis of the syncline, resulting in a uniquely- stacked hydrological system. Organ is a National Natural Landmark. There are published accounts of tourism dating back to 1837 and a regular commercial operation began early in this century. Organ’s role in the War of 1812 and the Civil War was significant. It contains saltpeter vats from both wars and its entrance room is believed to have been used for church services for Confederate soldiers. The Organ Cave System is without a doubt one of the richest Pleistocene paleontological treasure troves in the United States. A partial list of the animals found to date in the cave include black bear, bobcat, seven species of bats, dire wolf, beautiful armadillo, porcupine, brown (grizzly) bear, saber-toothed cat, complicated-toothed horse, long-nosed peccary, caribou, and American mastodon. The grizzly bear bones were the first found east of the Mississippi, and the saber- toothed cat was the first found in West Virginia. Organ Cave is one of the longest caves in the world. It has historically varied between the second and seventh longest cave in the United States.  At present, the cave has a surveyed length of 37.6 miles. It is the seventh longest cave in the U.S. and the fifth-deepest cave in the state. Foxhole is 2.75 miles long, and it too is one of the longest caves in the United States. Please do not build this highway above the cave! Please find another alternative!  Thank you for your time. Sincerely,

Frank Young, President,

West Virginia Highlands Conservancy