The Roxy Regional School of the Arts gave us 11 actors to do our three skits in the cave with Brendan Cataldo as their director. The Roxy Theatre also gave us a delightful gatekeeper.

The 2009 Haunting History Tour Actors

Swan Lake Golf Course allowed us to use their parking lot for overflow parking.

Volunteers stand ready to serve refreshing drinks

Over 40 volunteers poured and stirred complimentary cups of hot chocolate, put up and took down the tiki torches that lined the lake, sold glow necklaces and tickets, took us into the cave to see the skits and manned the parking lot. The volunteers were a happy bunch, their enthusiasm catchy.

Haunting History is a fundraiser by the non-profit group, Friends of Dunbar Cave. Monies raised are used to help preserve and protect the park and educate the public.

• The Friends Group was able to talk APSU’s Clean Cut Productions into producing an Introductory Film that explains the history of Dunbar Cave.
• The Friends group filmed interviews of local residents who have stories to tell about the Good Ole Days at Dunbar Cave.
• The Friends group designed, bought and installed a monitor in the lobby that shows films to the public especially the one made by Clean Cut Productions.
• The Friends group runs Trees to Trails, Cooling at the Cave and Spring Fling each year. These events are free to the public.
• The Friends group bought interpretive signage for the park and will continue to do so.
• The Friends group pushes for an Interpretive Center at Dunbar Cave. They’ve used the money they have raised as an incentive for the State to also support that effort.

The 40+ Haunting History volunteers were an impressive bunch. They came willing to do whatever was needed and also to have a good time. They did both. This event has side benefits, like making everyone fall in love with the cave and the Friends of Dunbar Cave group. Several people became members during the event.

The Skits

The first skit

I received a lot of positive feedback about the skits from the public and the volunteers. I was thrilled to overhear a man quote the first skit about bats to his wife and talk about how many mosquitoes bats eat. They both agreed that they should build a bat house to try and attract bats to their property.

The first skit was meant to dispel fears about bats and replace them with true information. At the end of the skit the actors showed the audience that a live bat was hanging on the ceiling. It was with excitement and awe that people looked at it, not with horror and fear.

An Eastern Pipistrel Bat

The second skit

The second skit, Haunting Memories, was created from what certain people had to say about the good ole days at Dunbar Cave. Woman 1 represents Marguerite Rubel and Mary McDaniel. Woman 2 is Rachel Tate and Jacquie Miles. Man 1 is Jimmy Dunn and Ronnie Hunter. Man 2 is Zoot Parker who was known as the best dancer in Clarksville. While talking to the actors I was able to fill them in on who they were representing.

The third skit

Skit three, Haunting Questions, is about the Native Americans who made the art on the walls in Dunbar Cave. Information about the topic was gathered on visits to Indian Mound sites, like Pinson Mounds in West Tennessee and from books purchased there.

Many people come out of the event smiling and saying, “Wow, I learned a lot!” They seemed pleasantly surprised by that, maybe because they were older by far than the children doing the skits.

The Roxy actors were great. I watched them rehearse and was totally impressed. Then, of course, they just kept getting better. A week before the event we took them and the director into the cave to see how the “stages” looked. After that we were treated to a bit of a tour by Michael Fulbright who works at the Park. The kids were thrilled and learned a lot about the cave.

One of the many tour groups heading to the cave

Sponsors

The Friends of Dunbar Cave wish to give special thanks to these sponsors:

Some of the many young people who enjoyed their haunting tour of Dunbar Cave

• The Roxy Regional School of the Arts. With a more than busy (as usual) schedule, John McDonald gave us wonderful actors and director.
• Bill Larson of Clarksville Online gave us free advertisement and negotiated the using of the Swan Lake Golf Course for overflow parking. He also brought the actors and early volunteers a lovely dinner on Saturday and ran activities in the cave during the walk-through and the event. Thanks to Bill also for pictures of the actors.
• Thanks for the cooking of that Saturday dinner goes out to Mr. and Mrs. William Keen.
• Thanks to Mr. Jeff Vaughn the City’s Golf Pro and manager of Swan Lake Golf Course for the use of their parking lot.
• Thanks to David Shelton, Christine Piesyk, Turner McCullough Jr., Gabe Redel, and Curtis Davis; for dinner Friday, and their help manning the tables on both nights.
• Thanks to Jack and Suva Bastin for all their hard work and help.
• Thanks to Tennessee Trails making Haunting History their event also.
• Thanks for donations from Batteries Plus, Lowes, Rural King and Krogers.
• Thanks for their invaluable help in promoting the event: WJZM 1400 AM Radio, Clarksville Online, the Leaf Chronicle and Clarksville Family Magazine.

Volunteers who helped on this event

Actors:

• Scene 1 – Haunting Facts:Becca Winters, Patrick Long, Hallie Sampson, Tim O. Smith
• Scene 2 – Haunting Memories: Kayla Coleman, Jacob Ritchart, Emily Ritchart, Autumn Crafton, Jaymin Burr
• Scene 3 – Haunting Questions: Frances Dennis, Christian Boyd

Contributers and Volunteers:

Volunteers Kim Chandler and Blayne Clements on Friday night

Barbara Wilbur, Jim Hancock, Richard Gildrie, Meredith Gildrie, Jack Bastin, Suva Bastin, John Sneed, David Boen, Randall Boen, Bill Larson, Kitty Madden, Beverly Fisher, Paul Schwab, Merri Hinton, Bob Lyon, Carol Sequra, Kyle Sequra, Christine Pieysk, Kelly LaPlante, Bobby LaPlante, David Shelton, Curtis Davis, Turner McCullough, Mike Vogt, Kathy Vogt, Kim Chandler, Blayne Clements, Stephen Walker, J.B., Brooklyn Lyle, Dan Racklin, Marilyn Racklin, Beth Racklin, Jill Eichhorn, Barry Kitterman, Hannah Kitterman, Lee Gray, Gabriel Redel, Bryan Valentin, Kathryn Myracle, Matthew Fowler, Beth Robinson, Faith Robinson, Katherine Kolodzie, Gloria Miliken, Elaine Foust, Carl J. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. William Keen

We wish to give a special thanks to the Dunbar Cave Park Staff! Amy Wallace, Adam Neblett, Robert Wells, Teresa Campbell, Michael Fulbright and Blaine Hargis

Park Interpreter Amy Wallace with some of the many pumpkins carved by Suva Bastin and herself

Photo Gallery

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The cost is $5 per person. All funds raised go to the Friends of Dunbar Cave for use in protecting, promoting, and preserving the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area. The price includes the cave tour and hot chocolate or hot cider. Parking is free. You can park in the Dunbar Cave parking lot, or if that is full park at the Swan Lake Golf Course and walk to the visitor’s center. Tours leave the visitor’s center every 15 minutes. No reservations are required. Each person needs a flashlight – bring your own or rent one at the event. Each person must be able to walk on their own, including children, unfortunately the cave cannot be made handicapped accessible.

The 2009 Haunting History Tour Actors

The three skits performed in the cave Haunting Facts, Haunting Memories and Haunting Questions.

Haunting Facts is a fast and fun look at the bats that live in Dunbar Cave and other caves.

Haunting Memories is about people sharing their memories of Big Band music and Country music and experiences living around the cave.

Haunting Questions asks about the Native Americans who made the ancient pictographs inside Dunbar Cave. Who were they and what does their art mean?

If you would like to become a member of the Friends of Dunbar Cave, you can signup while at the event!

The Friends of Dunbar Cave would like to thank The City of Clarksville, and Golf Pro Jeff Vaughn for allowing the Friends of Dunbar Cave to use the Parking lot at Swan Lake for overflow parking for the Tours.

Does anyone remember the old song about picking up paw paws, putting them in your pocket, way down yonder in the pawpaw patch? You can find the famous paw paws at Dunbar Cave right now, as well as at other places– and if you beat the possums to them, taste one – kind of like a sickly sweet very ripe banana. How do you know if one is ripe? Shake the tree (and duck) – if they fall off, they are ripe. Some people make breads and puddings from the pulp. We prefer to leave them for the possums and other creatures that need them for food. The leaves of pawpaw trees are also neat – they smell like green peppers.

Pawpaw fruits

Mistflower

If you come to the park this month, you will also see goldenrod, boneset, mistflower, snakeroot, thistles, jewelweed, asters, lettuces (nothing to do with the garden vegetable) and other flowers. The predominant colors are yellow, white and lavender.

Butterfly on Thistle

Some might call them weeds, but if you look closely most of these “weeds” are covered with insects, especially butterflies, getting a good meal. That is why we let our weeds grow and flower – to feed the inhabitants of the Natural Area and to provide shelter for them.

Jewelweed

The tiny orange spotted jewelweed is my favorite flower right now – if you wonder about the name, take a look at the photo – they look like little eardrops – and if you look closely, you will also see the water droplets shining like jewels. If you hold a leaf underwater, it looks like it is covered in tinfoil. The jewelweed is also good for poison ivy (rub the mashed up leaves on the rash) – and just plain fun. It will have seedpods that look like little okras – if you touch one it will shoot seeds out three or more feet (another name for this plant is touch-me-not. And if you can catch one of the seeds and peel it – the inside is robin’s-egg-blue and tastes like a peanut!

Our swallows are gone; soon we will be seeing ducks and warblers migrating through the area. The local Audubon Society will have a field trip to Dunbar on September 26 to look for those fall warblers – check out the Warioto Audubon Society website for details.

Middle Tennessee

Dunbar Cave Labor Day Cave Hikes – Monday, September 7 – Join the Friends of Dunbar Cave for several special Labor Day Hikes beginning at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. CDT. Participants must make a reservation in advance, be at least three years old (must be able to walk for 1.5 hours without being carried) and each person must bring or rent a flashlight (requirement is one per person). Photography is not allowed in the cave.  Please call the park for reservations and check-in time information. The cost is $5.00 per person and $2.00 per flashlight rental (again, participants can bring their own).

Dunbar Cave is located 60 minutes northwest of Nashville and about 1.5 miles northeast of downtown Clarksville in Montgomery County. Dunbar Cave is the most prominent of several caves located in this designated natural area. In the roomy mouth of the cave, square dances, radio shows and big band era concerts were once held.   To make your reservation for one of the special Labor Day hikes, please (931) 648-5526.  For more information about Dunbar Cave, please visit their Web site at www.tnstateparks.com/DunbarCave.

Standing Stone State Park’s 9th Annual Campers Night Light Contest — Saturday, September 5 – Decorate your campsite with a creative selection of lights. First place prize for the most original display will be one week of free camping at Standing Stone. Second place prize will include two nights of free camping and there will be a “fun” prize for third place!  Judging will begin at dark.

Standing Stone State Park covers nearly 11,000 acres on the Cumberland Plateau of north-central Tennessee. The quaint and rustic park is noted for its outstanding scenery, spring wildflowers, fossils and other natural diversity.  The park is located in Overton County within a triangle formed by highways connecting Livingston, Gainesboro and Celina, Tenn.  The park takes its name from the Standing Stone, an eight-foot tall rock standing upright on a sandstone ledge, which was supposedly used as a boundary line between two separate Indian nations. When the rock fell, the Indians placed a portion of it upon an improvised monument to preserve it. The stone is still preserved in Monterey, Tenn.  For more information about Standing Stone please visit www.tnstateparks.com/StandingStone or call (931) 823-6347.

West Tennessee

Paris Landing’s Summer In the Park – Saturday, September 5 – Paris Landing State Park will hold its final “Summer In the Park” concert Labor Day Weekend.  Park guests and area residents will enjoy performances in various genres of music including country, rock and roll, soft rock, traditional country, bluegrass, Celtic and “newgrass.” This is a wonderful opportunity to hear regional musicians while overlooking the scenic Kentucky Lake!  Concerts are from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. CDT and are free to the public.

Paris Landing State Park is an 841-acre park located on the western shore of the Tennessee River, which is dammed to form Kentucky Lake.  The park sits on the widest part of the lake and is the perfect location for all water sports such as fishing, boating, swimming and skiing. On land, there is plenty of activity with golfing, hiking, camping or just relaxing and enjoying the natural beauty and wildlife. Be on the lookout for the deer, turkey, fox and coyote that roam the park. Eagles can be seen in the winter months.  For more information about Summer in the Park or other upcoming activities, please visit www.tnstateparks.com/ParisLanding or call (731) 641-4465.

Fort Pillow State Park Labor Day Activities — Monday, September 7 – Join the Fort Pillow State Park team for a variety of fun-filled activities and programs.  For more information about Fort Pillow’s Labor Day events, please call (731) 738-5581.

The 1,642-acre Fort Pillow State Historic Park, located in Lauderdale County on the Chickasaw Bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, is rich in both historic and archaeological significance. In 1861, the Confederate Army built extensive fortifications here and named the site for General Gideon J. Pillow of Maury County. The confederate soldiers abandoned the fort and the remains of the earthworks are well preserved.  For more information about Fort Pillow, please visit the park’s Web site at www.tnstateparks.com/FortPillow.

East Tennessee

Davy Crockett Birthplace End of Season Celebration — Saturday, September 5 – Join the Davy Crockett Birthplace team at the campground pavilion for their “End of the Season” Celebration. There will be games for the kids starting at 11 a.m. A Summer in the Park slide show will begin at 1 p.m. and a bluegrass musical group will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Note that times are all Eastern Daylight Time.

Davy Crockett’s birthplace has been preserved by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation as a historic site within the state park system.  The site consists of 105 partially wooded acres of land along the Nolichucky River in Greene County.  For more information about the park’s Labor Day Celebration, please call (423) 257-2167.  For additional information about the park, please visit www.tnstateparks.com/DavyCrockettSHP.

Pickett State Park Old Timers’ Day — Monday, September 7 — The sound of fiddling and bluegrass music will fill the air at Pickett State Park in Jamestown during the annual Old Timers’ Day music festival.  This free, day-long “jamming” festival began in the mid-1970s and features buck dancing, ballad singing, old-time fiddling, folk songs, bluegrass and much more. Bring the whole family for a day of music and fun activities!  For additional information about Old Timers’ Day, please call (931) 689-3129.

Situated in a remote section of the Upper Cumberland plateau, Pickett State Park is known for its geological, botanical and scenic wonders.  The park lies within the 19,200-acre Pickett State Forest and adjacent to the massive 120,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, both areas containing prime wilderness country.  Visitors to the park can explore large rock houses, natural sandstone bridges, scenic bluffs and wild mountain streams.  The park memorializes and preserves the unique work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who first developed the park.  For additional information about the park, please visit www.tnstateparks.com/Pickett or call (931) 879-5821.

As people talked about Dunbar Cave in its heydays their eyes would light up.  I could feel their excitement as they described the place that put life into their worlds.

Dunbar Cave bought the latest entertainers and the latest sounds to Clarksville; it brought celebrities and made celebrities out of the locals.   Zoot Parker, a local known for his great dancing, said that Hollywood didn’t have a thing over Dunbar Cave.  For kids and young adults the Cave brought the world here to Clarksville and they weren’t afraid of it.

“…brought the world to Clarksville”

I thought of this again as I left the Roxy Theatre after a performance of Rent. 

The acting was so good that I felt like I was in New York City watching a Broadway show.  It is obvious that the actors really love doing the show; they give it 120%.  The singing is so awesome it is unreal.  The stage is always alive and the play reminds me of New York, there is always someone on stage watching, standing around, while the main actors have their conversations.  You’re never alone in the city; physically at least.  The glamour of NYC is pushed off in this play.  It’s a difficult place to live.

As they explore and show the dynamics of several relationships, the struggling artists exude with life and love that is communicated in song.

And Rent brings the world to Clarksville.  In Clarksville we are capable of missing the outside world.  Our values and our visions are influenced by the limits in our town.  A taste of the outside is refreshing and invigorating.  The Roxy has brought the world to us and it is brilliant; it is full.

The show runs Tuesdays through Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m.  Fridays and Saturdays it from 8 to 10 p.m. through August 21.  Get right out of town at the theatre! http://www.roxyregionaltheatre.org/nowplaying/index.html

Check out this actor! He appears to be as good as the professionals in the Broadway version of the show. And he’s a local kid doing Roxy Regional theatre school. Humberto Figueroa; Wow!

Flowers that are blooming now include Swamp Milkweed, a pink ballerina-looking flower that can be found at the edge of the lake; Ironweed, a rich deep purple flower with a stem that can reach 9 feet or more; Orange Coneflower, found in one spot along the lake shore (looks a lot like a black-eyed Susan); Creeping Primrose, a yellow flower that actually grows in the water at the edge of the lake; Wild Sensitive Plant, that looks like a small mimosa tree, has small yellow flowers; Tick Trefoil, with three leaflets and a pealike lavender or pink flower (this will later have the brown triangular seeds that stick all over your clothes); and Tall Bellflower, with blue flowers, found growing near the rock walls on the way to the cave.

Clematis fruit

We also have the fruits of flowers from earlier in the summer – the alien looking fruit of the Wild Clematis and the round green ball (will turn dark purple later) that is the fruit of the Yellow Passion Flower.

Our crayfish are coming out onto the banks of the lake and making chimneys to hide while they shed their exoskeleton and the new one hardens.

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Back before there was such a thing as air conditioning, people in this area would gather at Dunbar Cave to enjoy the 58 degree naturally cool air coming out of the cave entrance. While the men worked at jobs during the day, the women, their children and pets would escape the heat by lounging at the cave entrance.  Sometimes the men would join the family for a dinner picnic at the cave.  Tables and chairs were provided where people could play card games and bingo.  At night the tables were pushed aside to make an area for music and dancing.

The use of Dunbar cave to cool down during hot summers is as old as time.

Cooling at the cave was so popular that the cave property passed through many hands during its time as a resort area.  In 1933 the Idaho Springs Corporation added an Olympic sized swimming pool and many other amenities to the site.  In 1948 Roy Acuff purchased the property and Dunbar Cave was a swinging place hosting some of the most popular bands during the Big Band era. After the property lay abandoned and vandalized for several years, it was rescued in 1973 by the State of Tennessee, and turned into a natural area.

There are people in Clarksville like Marguerite Rubel who remember the good ole days at the cave and reminisce about it with fond memories.  Three years ago Friends of Dunbar Cave member Barbara Wilbur got the idea to rekindle the activities such as card and board game playing at the entrance of the cave.  So she talked the Friends group into hosting this event for one day during the summer.  This will be the third year that the Friends of Dunbar Cave,  with permission from the Park staff, hold this event.

The crowds gather around the cave to enjoy the cool air during the hot summer.

Volunteers will gather to set up chairs and tables on the hot muggy July afternoon.  The first year when I helped set up the chairs and tables we were so hot that we put tables as close to the cave as we could get them.  After awhile we had to move the tables away from the entrance because it was too cold. Refreshments such as cookies and lemonade are set out for the soon to gather crowd. The Musicians arrive, and guests start coming up the trail, many bearing their own board games or cards. They find a table and then spend the afternoon with old friends and perhaps making some new acquaintances as was done in days past.  This event is so popular that the comment most repeated is, “When are you going to do this again?”

Cooling at the Cave in 2008

Come out and join us this Saturday, July 25^th, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the cave entrance as we relive the good ole days at Dunbar Cave.  Bring your own board game and cards, or just hang out and visit.   The Swan Lake Golf Course and its Manager Jeff Vaughn is providing the use of one of their golf carts to allow us to give rides for those who need help making it to the cave entrance.

The refreshments are free and donations are always welcomed.  The Friends of Dunbar Cave is a group dedicated to helping preserve the park and educate the public.

Don Horton and his dog Jax

The 2008 Cooling at the Cave

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The workers are Teenagers Brooke, James and Kevin; and Scott, who is twenty years old. They have been at the parks since early June and will work through July. They have done everything from cleaning bathrooms and picking up trash to mowing and weed eating. All are working hard and hopefully having fun as well.

Brooke in particular impressed us during her first week on the job when she came upon a copperhead, and not only did not scream or run, but calmly picked it up and moved it off the trail using the “trash grabber” she was carrying.

A Northern Copperhead

The workers have also completed or are currently working on three large projects involving improvements to the trails at Dunbar Cave. According to Park Manager Bob Wells, “this trail maintenance is long overdue because it is extremely labor intensive, and having these extra workers has allowed the staff to make these improvements to provide a better experience for our visitors who use the trails.”

Trail Reconstruction

An example of erosion on an old section of the trail

The first project relocated the beginning section of the Short Loop and Recovery Trails, which had major erosion problems. If you have walked the trails in the last few months, you probably noticed that there was a big gully down the center of the trail, caused by water runoff from the street above. This gully got wider and deeper each time it rained. To correct this, the trail was moved away from the problem area. A new section of trail was laid out, trees and vegetation removed, the ground leveled and the section joined to the older trail system. The old section was blocked off to prevent visitor access, and the gully filled in with rocks.

Walking Bridge constructed

The Walking bridge

The second project was a bridge built by David Britton and Joe Smiley, park employees, with the help of the new workers. This bridge spans an area of the trail, in a low spot, that gets extremely muddy after heavy rains. Visitors, trying to avoid going through the mud, were widening the trail to an unacceptable level (a trail that should have been two feet wide was becoming six to eight feet wide in places) and were also trampling the vegetation, including rare flowers, on both sides of the trail. Having this bridge will stop this damage to the trail and to the surrounding ecosystem.

Erosion Control

The third project, under the supervision of Seasonal Interpretive Ranger Tim Smith and Mr. Britton, with the assistance of Seasonal Interpretive Ranger Michael Fulbright, involves replacing old erosion blocks and placing new blocks where needed. These blocks, which are installed across steep areas of the trail, are designed to divert water that runs down a trail after a rain (on a trail all vegetation that would stop the runoff has been removed), and prevent the soil from being washed away. This helps to stop erosion of the trail such as the gully mentioned above. Some visitors, rather than stepping over the blocks, walked around the ends, widening the trail and eventually removing the vegetation to the sides, which caused the water to run around the ends instead of being caught and stopped by the blocks as intended, leading to more erosion. Our workers have spent many hot hours and continue to work at removing old blocks and digging out the ground, placing and reinforcing the new blocks.

We invite you to come to the park and check out the new additions to the trail and to meet our workers.

Photo Gallery

Yellow Passion Flower

A Blue Bird on a Blue Bird box

Our Barn Swallows, which have nested under the dance floor at the cave every summer for years, are not nesting there this year. They returned in the spring, and began to nest, but then abandoned the area. There were several nests that either fell or were knocked down, which may have caused them to leave. Luckily, we have had two pairs that nested at the visitor center, each raising three broods of young. One pair nested on the porch supports of the building nearer to the old pool area, the other was on the opposite side of the building outside our bay window.

On a more hopeful note, the Purple Martins, which had nested in our houses for years and had not been here for a couple of summers, did return to the houses and raised young. They will be leaving us this month, migrating for the winter, and hopefully will return next March.

Our blue bird boxes have also been used for nesting.

This is how caves are formed, water rushes out of cracks in the rocks

We are doing cave hikes almost every day (we get a break on Mondays and Tuesdays). The cave is still muddy from the flooding in May, but has dried out a bit – or our visitors have taken a lot of the mud out on their shoes!

]]> http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/07/08/news-from-the-dunbar-cave-state-natural-area/feed/ 0 http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/06/22/apsu-center-for-field-biology-to-help-monitor-fungus-associated-with-bat-deaths-in-nation/ http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2009/06/22/apsu-center-for-field-biology-to-help-monitor-fungus-associated-with-bat-deaths-in-nation/#comments Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:00:36 +0000 News Staff http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/?p=21573 Dr. Andrew [...]]]> Biologists across the country are trying to find out more information about the white-nose syndrome fungus that has caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of hibernating bats in the last three years. And the Austin Peay State University Center of Excellence for Field Biology will be an integral part of that discovery.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. Andrew Barrass

Dr. Andrew Barrass, program manager and principal investigator at the Center for Field Biology, said APSU is the only university asked to participate in a state plan to monitor the white-nose syndrome (WNS) crisis.

“We are the only university that was asked to participate,” Barrass said. “This soon could affect Tennessee caves and bat communities.” He also noted that the “crisis and potential spread of the fungus could prompt cave closures.”

In bat populations across the nation, WNS is a fungus that attacks bats as they roost or hibernate. It is called WNS because it is a white fungus that attacks and lines the nose and mouth of infected bats. The fungus has been associated with bat deaths primarily in the northern states.

Specifically, the center has been asked to develop acoustic transects to monitor for bat calls or vocalizations along 20- 30-milelong corridors in Montgomery County and at Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area.

Little brown bats in NY hibernation cave. Most of the bats exhibit fungal growth on their muzzles. (Nancy Heaslip, NY Dept of Environ. Conservation.)

The Center for Field Biology has been studying the bats in Dunbar Cave since January 2006. This was in response to a request by park officials and state biologists who recommended a survey of bats, both before and after the construction of the bat friendly steel gate at the cave entrance in June 2006. The cave surveys are conducted at least once a month throughout the year.

Morgan Kurz and Seth McCormick are the current Bat Project students

On Thursday, June 18th at 7 p.m Dr Andrew Barrass and students Seth McCormick and Morgan Kurz will present APSU’s study of the bats inside Dunbar Cave for the Friends of Dunbar Cave meeting.  The meeting will be in the Visitor Center at the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area.  This event is free, and open to the public. The presentation will include several segments of their research using a Power Point slide show, posters of cave surveys,  photos of bats in the cave, and more.

For the last three years, the APSU’s Center of Excellence for Field Biology has been researching the bat population in Dunbar Cave. They call it the “Bat Project”. Dr. Andrew N. Barrass is the Project Manager, PI, with The Center of Excellence for Field Biology and an Associate Professor in the Biology Department.

We have been studying the bats in the cave since January of 2006. This was in response to a request by Park officials and State Biologists that recommended a survey of bats, both before and after the construction of the “Bat Friendly” steel gate, at the cave entrance in June 2006.

A young Eastern Pipistrelle covered in dew

Dr. Barrass says that three kinds of bats use Dunbar Cave: Eastern Pipistrelles make up about 80-90% of the bats in Dunbar, Little Brown Bats make up about 5%, and Big Brown Bats make up less than 5%.

When we are lucky enough to see a bat in Dunbar Cave, generally it is an eastern pipistrelle bat. They hang by themselves and they are tiny—less than 2 inches long. When we have held Haunting History in Dunbar Cave around the end of October, we sometimes see a bat sleeping in a passage way. We are extra careful not to disturb it. If we wake a bat during its hibernation, it might die because there is no food available. Bats eat more mosquitoes than any other creature which is just one reason we want to keep bats around. They are also essential to the other life (what little there is) that exists in caves.

The Friends of Dunbar Cave and the Park staff are concerned about the noise that people make when they go into the cave  and how it affects the bats. They hope the APSU study will be able to shed some light on that subject. Should they schedule Haunting History earlier in the year instead of at the end of October? Haunting History brings hundreds of people into the cave to see informational skits performed by actors from the Roxy Regional Theatre. It’s the major fundraiser for the Friends of Dunbar Cave who use the money to help the Park. However, neither the Friends group nor the Park staff wishes to endanger the bat population.

“The ‘Bat Project’ has many components such as a study of site fidelity by Pipistrelles–if they use the same roosting sites repeatedly; surveys of the population over time and seasonal variations; the affects of human noise on roosting bats; banding and marking bats for future studies; and most importantly the restoration of the bat population(s) in the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area.”

Dr. Barrass says they also plan to discuss current information about a crisis in the bat communities nationwide, called the White Nose Syndrome (WNS) that is linked to the deaths of greater than +400,000 bats within the last two years.

Side view of an Eastern Pipistrelle bat (80-90% of the bat population in Dunbar Cave)

Dr. Barrass worked with Mr. Mike Wilson of the APSU Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to make maps of the cave and use those to plot out where the bats hang out. The Bat Project students enter the cave at least once a month and record data as to where they find the bats. Comparing that data over time and seasons they know that Pipistrelles use only certain chambers within the cave and avoid others. That is most likely due to human impacts-like the burned chamber, he says. Pipistrelles seem to like congregrating in groups and they hope to identify the location of a maternity roost (females gathering for care of their young).

Dr. Barrass says that he has been blessed to work with some wonderful students during the past few years. Sarah Jo Jenkins began the study in 2006. She was voted most outstanding Senior in the Biology Department. She recently graduated with an MS in Animal Science from UT-Knoxville and is now teaching as an Instructor in the Biology Department at APSU. Seth McCormick, an undergraduate, assisted Sarah Jo, and took full reins of the project in 2007. He has received two Presidential Research Scholarship awards in order to work on this project. In 2008, Seth was joined by Morgan Kurz, a graduate student. She was selected as a Graduate Assistant in the Biology Department and received a Graduate Research award this year. All of these students have presented scientific papers at the International meeting of the Animal Behavior Society during the last three years. Also, collectively, these students have presented, either by a poster-presentation or by oral presentations, over 19 scientific presentations pertaining to the research at Dunbar Cave State Natural Area. He believes this to be an outstanding accomplishment.

A Vanderbilt graduate, Andrew Barrass, holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Environmental Engineering and is currently the Program Manager and former Director of The Center of Excellence for Field Biology and Associate Professor of the Biology Department at APSU. He served as Environmental Review Coordinator with the Division of Natural Heritage of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in 1994. He served on a Worldwide Technical Committee to review Effects of Noise on Breeding Bird Behavior with the Sea World Research Institute in San Diego in 1993. Among other accomplishments he was appointed as Manager of the State of Tennessee’s Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Program forTDEC in 1988. He served as Field Supervisor in the Houston Toad Recovery Project for the Zoological Society of Houston in 1984, and was on the Research Fellowship of Vanderbilt University (Environmental Science and Engineering)in 1983. He was appointed to the Research Fellowship at the University of Texas in Austin for the Marine Science Institute in 1982.

At 7:00p.m.  following the conclusion of the business meeting, Dr. Andy Barrass and his research students, Morgan Kurz and Seth McCormick, will present the “ Current Status of the Dunbar Cave Bat Project”. This is free and open to the public.

Upcoming events:  The third annual Cooling at the Cave will be on Thursday July 25th, from 4p.m. to 6:00p.m. at the Dunbar Cave State Natural Area: Be cool on the “hottest” day of the year! Come and enjoy a day of music and fun, at the mouth of the Cave!

We did our last school group yesterday. It was a fun time, considering we had to slog through four to five inches of mud to get through the first room of the cave. The heavy rain we had the weekend of Mother’s Day flooded the first room of the cave and halfway into the first passageway, depositing sticky slippery clay mud. On that Saturday morning, the water was up to chin height (estimate, we didn’t wade in to see exactly how high it was).

While I was sitting at the cave entrance waiting for a group one day, I saw an Eastern Phoebe feeding her young at the nest at the cave entrance and a Carolina Wren flying to a nest in the window of the old concession stand. In fifteen minutes I heard a Red-Shouldered Hawk, a Gray Cheeked Thrush, a Blue Jay, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a Common Crow, a Yellow-throated Warbler, a Black-and-White Warbler, a Parula Warbler and a Black-throated Green Warbler. In the same amount of time I saw a Green Heron and a Great Blue Heron. You don’t even have to walk up on the trails to see birds – these were all at or near the cave entrance.

Our best flowers right now are the Indian Pink, Wild Petunia and Wild Clematis. All can be found along the lake trail.

Over the course of the day’s events, visitors took hikes, pausing to look at wildflowers or spot birds along with the general trekking. They learned about bluebirds, backpacking and many other things. Dozens of enthusiastic volunteers helped set up and take down equipment for the event, which was sponsored by the Friends of Dunbar Cave, the Warioto Audubon Chapter, Tennessee Trails Association and TN Wildlife Resources Agency.

Save Our Raptors is a yearly treat at spring fling. Having the opportunity to see these birds of prey up close up is a thrill for everyone who attends. While teaching the crowd about Raptors they flew them back and forth over the crowd’s heads. One gentleman even received a gentle pat on the top of his head by the wing of a Casey the Vulture.

A guest gets a gentle tap on the top of his head from Casey the Vulture

When they asked for volunteers a young woman got the chance of a life time. “Carrie, Do you know your blood type?” they asked. They had her put on “a road kill” apron and lay on the ground pretending to be a vultures favorite treat, it was only a joke. After cluing her in, she allowed Casey to land on her hand after a he finished a flight.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You can learn more about SOAR at their web site.

The Reptiliacs Sherry Howell

After SOAR finished entertaining the crowd it was the turn of the Reptiliacs. Donny and Sherry Howell shared stories about their love of snakes and reptiles, all but hypnotizing their audience. “Don’t be so anxious to kill snakes,” Sherry told us, as she explained that they eat many kinds of pests like mice and rats. They help us more than they hurt us; our fear of them is unfounded. Even when she was bitten by one of her snakes while feeding it, she understood that it was her fault, she says.

Due to high water conditions the annual canoeing on the lake was canceled this year.

The Friends of Dunbar Cave would like to extend their thanks to the Park staff, all those who volunteered, the participants, and the public  for their continued support.

Here are images of the 2009 Spring Fling by Beth Britton, Debbie Boen, and Bill Larson,

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Schedule of events:

7:00-8:30 am – Early Morning Bird Hike: Hike the trails at the park; watch and identify birds with members of the Warioto Audubon Chapter. Bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.

8:45-9:45 am – Backpacking with Tennessee Trail Association: Bob Lyon, an experienced backpacker and long-distance hiker, will demonstrate the needed equipment for backpacking, day hiking and camping.

8:45-10:15 am – Wildflower/Plant Walk: Amy Wallace, the park’s naturalist, will lead you on a hike to appreciate the abundant wild flowers & other plants found in the park.

10:00-11:00 am – Raptors with SOAR, Inc.: Save Our American Raptors will give an educational program showing various native birds of prey.  They will tell about each bird and its personal history, describe its species and how it fits into the natural world.  Several of the birds are flighted which should make for some lively audience encounters.

11:15 am-12:15 pm – Native Amphibians and Reptile: Nathan Parker, APSU naturalist, will present a program on some of our local native salamanders, frogs and snakes.

11:15 am-12:15 pm – The Story of Dunbar Cave: Enjoy this new 14 minute film developed by the Friends of Dunbar Cave and Austin Peay’s Department of Communication. The film will be shown several times.

12:30-1:30 pm – Urban Wildlife: Bettina Bowers-Schwan of Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center will discuss some of the animals that you will find living in your town or community. Live animals will be displayed.

12:30-1:30 pm – Raptors with SOAR, Inc.: Save Our American Raptors will provide an educational program showing various birds of prey.

1:45-2:45 pm – Snakes and Reptiles: Sherry and Donny Howell, local reptile experts, show you native and exotic snakes and other reptiles. Learn why these gentle creatures are so important to our ecology.

Snakes and Reptiles

1:45-2:45 pm – Bluebirds in your Backyard: Duane Rice, local Audubon Society leader and bluebird expert will talk about how to host Eastern Bluebirds around your home and property.

2:45-3:45 pm – Trail Hike with Suva Bastin: Suva Bastin, member of Clarksville’s Tennessee Trails Association, will lead us on a hike on the park’s trails. She can provide valuable pointers for day-hiking in our region.

Canoeing on Swan Lake

2:45-4:45 pm – Canoeing: Enjoy the beauty of Swan Lake and Dunbar Cave State Natural Area from a canoe. Canoes, paddle and life jackets provided for brief excursions on the lake. Sign-up will begin earlier in the day.