NM cavers set sights on Snowy River trek

Saturday marked the beginning of the season's first expedition into the uncharted depths of a cave in southern New Mexico that is home to Snowy River - believed to be the longest continuous calcite formation in the world. More than four miles long, the Snowy River passage is becoming more of a challenge as the cavers push their limits, crawling on their bellies and trudging through sticky mud in some spots all while keeping sane enough to record scientific history. Fort Stanton and Snowy River are now part of a national conservation area that was designated last month with President Barack Obama's signature of a massive public lands bill that set aside millions of acres as wilderness, conservation areas and monuments. Goodbar says the BLM and the scientists studying Snowy River are hopeful the designation will mean more funding to continue exploring the cave system, which has already produced some intriguing microorganisms and raised plenty of questions about the region's hydrology...Lubbock A-J