Nine members of Ball State University's Natural Resources Club got into a tight squeeze on Saturday.
Spelunking through Buckner Cave near Bloomington, Ind., altered the perspectives of some club members.
"Until you're placed between a rock and a hard place, you don't have the respect for the underground world," Natural Resource Club President Lisa Nicklas said.
Spelunking is defined as any venture into a cave for recreation, she said.
The members worked with the Graffiti Removal Project that uses sandblasters to remove spray-painted graffiti from the cave's ancient walls, a first for the club.
The cave's first signature dates to 1776, when a scout for the Revolutionary Army left his mark.
However, years of heavy partying within the caves left the inside covered in spray paint, trash and even feces.
"It's sad," Vice President Katrina McKinley said. "One thousand years of work ruined in one second."
Private resident Dick Blenz purchased the cave in 2003 and began to more heavily regulate unauthorized entrance.
A gate installed near the cave entrance deters unwelcome partiers and bears a sign detailing how to legally gain access.
According to the Buckner Cave Web site, Blenz borrowed sandblasting equipment from the Peppersauce Cave Conservation Project in Arizona to replace hand-scrubbing techniques.
In 2006, Dave Everton, Bloomington native and experienced caver, began coordinating the cave clean-up process.
While the NR club did not sandblast, the student spelunkers maneuvered cleaning equipment through the tight and twisting caverns.
Club Treasurer Adam Abner said scrubbing was no easy feat; the cave's narrowest spot measures no more than a foot wide.
Nicklas and several other spelunkers complained of sore upper-body muscles from belly-crawling what she estimated as the length of a football field.
"It gives you a whole new appreciation for walking," she said.
Everton said he commends the group's efforts in helping to clean up the caves.
"They were all very adept," he said. "And they all seemed to enjoy it which isn't always the case. I wish every group was as great."
McKinley initiated the spelunking visit after working on similar projects as a camp counselor.
"Caves do have an appeal," she said, "It's sort of a whole other world."
The club officers decided to take the trip early in the semester to promote interest and membership in the club that usually consists of no more than 20 members.
The NR club welcomes all majors and minors or anyone with an interest in the outdoors.
Alex Wilson, sophomore social studies education major, said he heard about the club in the basic natural resources course and his love for nature inspired him to join.
Abner, a business major, said he believes businesses can work together with environmentalists to make a difference.
He cited Forbes magazine and business textbooks for discussing sustainability.
"This is a global thing and is not going anywhere," he said, "We can't just go into the cave age and shut the lights down."
Abner suggests some of the environmental problems people are facing today come from both a lack of awareness and over-consumption of goods.
In order to increase awareness, the club annually coordinates "Earth Week," which will be from April 18 to 23 in 2008.
The festivities date back to the 1970s, around the time of the first global Earth Day, former club adviser Hugh Brown said.
According to Brown, Ball State has been a long-time leader in environmental issues.
The university's Council on the Environment was recently listed on the "2007 Green College Report" published in Kiwi Magazine as one of the top 50 schools helping students save the planet.
This year, the club hopes to move the Earth Day events to the Quad, rather than University Green, current adviser Amy Gregg said.
Gregg said the theme of Earth Week, "No Child Left Behind," strives to remind people of the beauty and inspiration of nature rather than the sometimes harsh and depressing aspects of its disintegration.
"It slows people down in a fast-paced world to stand still and watch [nature]," she said.
In accordance with the theme, Gregg said the club plans to invite local elementary schools to teach younger generations about the environment.
Other groups on and off campus, such as the Wildlife Association, Students for a Sustainable Campus and the Center for Energy Research and Education Services also participate in the activities.
Natural Resource Club officers said they hope to break through stereotypes about the group.
"People hear NR Club and automatically think tree-huggers and that's not who we are at all," Nicklas said.
McKinley said the club is about protecting and learning about the environment.
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