A long-forgotten, neglected cave in northwest Jefferson County may be about to get a new lease on life.
The Jefferson County Council voted 5-0 on Oct. 10 to approve an agreement with the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy to restore and manage a cave at Pleasant Valley Nature Preserve, 6701 Twin River Road, near Byrnes Mill Road and Hwy. PP.
Tim Pigg, director of the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department, which manages the 40-acre nature preserve, said he’s enthused about the agreement.
“I don’t get excited about much, but I’m excited about this,” he said. “According to our paperwork, it’s been shut down for at least the last 20 years, if not longer.”
According to the agreement, the cave has just under 1 mile of a mapped, multilevel passage that follows a stream. The lower level is more like a maze with several interconnecting passages, but no single passage is very long.
It’s historically been known as “Potters,” “Devil’s Hole” and “Goat” cave through the years, the agreement said.
Pigg said after he was hired in 2016 and heard about trespassers entering and vandalizing the cave, he contacted the Missouri Department of Natural Resources about closing it.
“They said they didn’t want it closed, to find some way to open it up,” he said. “Eventually it got put on the back burner. We put up a gate designed to keep people out and allow animals to go in and out, and that’s how it’s been for several years.”
Pigg said about two years ago, he was contacted by Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy representatives, who suggested managing the cave for the county.
“It’s a great deal,” Pigg said. “They’re the experts. I don’t know anything about caves. Under the agreement, they will restore and manage it for us.”
He said the agreement does not involve a payment to either side.
“We’re giving them access; they’re giving us their expertise,” he said.
Under the agreement, cavers with the group will begin visiting the cave to draw up plans to restore it and remove trash.
“They’ll bring the trash to the surface and county parks employees will haul it away,” Pigg said.
The group also will design a gate that will allow limited access to its members and others.
After the gate is installed, the group will begin accepting permits to visit the cave.
“This will not be a tourist destination, like Meramec Caverns,” Pigg said. “The (conservancy) will vet the people wanting to visit the cave and make sure they have the proper training. They’ll be able to tell right away if they’re serious cavers or not. Safety is a big concern.”
The Parks and Recreation Department will be supplied a list of approved visitors who will be held responsible for making sure they leave the cave in as good, if not better, condition than they found it.
Pigg said the group likely will expand the entrance to the cave.
“The opening, from what they’ve told me, was 10 times larger than what it is now,” he said. “Through the years, it’s been closed up, some through natural means, some of it by people throwing things into it. The hope is that opening it up will encourage endangered species of bats to return.
“Bats get a bad rap, but they’re important to the ecology. They eat bugs and mosquitoes. They tell me it’s a long shot that they’ll return, but it’s something we’re hoping for and with a larger opening, it will be possible.”
According to its website, Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy is a nonprofit organization focused on cave conservation, education and management and manages 12 other caves around the state.
Council members Shannon Otto (District 3, Arnold) and Scott Seek (District 5, Festus) were absent from the Oct. 10 meeting.