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In 1978, one of the nation's first cave conservancies, the Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (NCC) was formed to accept the donation of Knox Cave in Albany County, NY when the National Speleological Society (NSS) declined to accept it. The NSS's board was deeply concerned that the liability exposure was too risky, so the NCC was incorporated with Knox Cave as its sole asset. The NCC's officers have appointed managers and led several volunteer cleanups to act as responsible stewards over the past 20 years and to reopen a popular cave that had been closed. To the NCC's credit, there have been no major accidents at Knox Cave over the past two decades and several educational groups have been able to use the resources on and under the property. Knox Cave is closed during the winter season to allow the reintroduction of colonies of bats in what a N.Y. State bat specialist has deemed a cave conducive to hibernation. A number of cave acquisition proposals have been studied by the NCC over the years, but only several have reached fruition. Onesquethaw Cave in Albany County was donated to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy in 1998 after nearly eight years of discussions, and they have asked the NCC to manage the property upkeep and the cave access. In 2002, the land surrounding Cave 575, Sellecks, and Levys Caves in Schoharie County was purchased by the NCC. The acquisition of the popular Clarksville Cave was completed in late 2004, soon followed by our newest cave preserve, Ella Armstrong Cave. Changing times will bring changes to a progressive organization, and the NCC is poised to step into the next millennium. To better accomplish our goals, the NCC has broadened its support by transforming into a membership organization. Now is the time to join the NCC and become a part of history! |
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| ©2008 The Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. P.O. Box 254, Schoharie, NY 12157 ncc@necaveconservancy.org |
