BHS club takes learning and conservation to new depths

Bigfork High School teacher Hans Bodenhamer has been exploring caves in national parks around the country for nearly 50 years. Now, he is the leader of the Bigfork Cave Club, a group of students dedicated to the conservation and preservation of caves throughout Montana and the United States. 

The club consists of students from all kinds of backgrounds, united by their passion for wild places.

Bodenhamer first dived into the underground world of caves in his late 20s. At this time, he was venturing into the subterranean habitats in order to learn more about protecting the world below. His passion for these overlooked places has only grown over the years.

“Caves are incredibly fragile,” Bodenhamer earnestly explains.

Like a kind of time capsule, caves protect fossils and footprints from cultural and paleontological deposits. They are essential to bats and bat habitat as well as unique mineral holds which are an overlooked resource.

Bodenhamer and his students have received several recognitions and awards for their work in exploring, mapping and conserving caves through Glacier National Park and the West.

As the only organization of its kind in the nation, Cave Club was founded in 2005. Since then, Bodenhamer has been sharing his zeal with his students by leading a new generation of enthusiasts in fighting for the conservation caves.

“Cave Club really helps the community by teaching and showing kids how to be respectful to other people as well as the things around them,” explains club member Ariana Sydnor.

Sydnor loves getting to explore places that not many people ever get the chance to see. As a current junior at Bigfork High School, she has participated in Cave Club for three years.

Along with the Bigfork GIS class, Cave Club strives to map caves that are previously unmapped. 

Many of the caves they map are not well explored, leaving Bodenhamer to hand draw the maps. The lack of previous maps provide the student members with an opportunity to gain valuable skills in real world science and natural resource conservation.

The club has received funding from the Forest Service, which is used to reach more people with an understanding of the dangers facing these subterranean havens.

“The club also provides agencies, like the Forest Service, BLM and National Park Service with data and resource management activities that they otherwise would not have the funding , staff, or expertise to complete,” Bodenhamer said.

One of the biggest threats facing caves is the White-Nose Syndrome found in bats. This weekend, the Cave Club will be heading off to Azure Cave to check on the bat population there. A representative from the Montana Heritage Association is going to accompany them.

“Cave Club is about more than just caves,” says Bodenhamer. “It symbolizes a much larger conservation effort.”

By mapping and showing young people the importance of caves, Bodenhamer hopes to inspire others to keep working hard to protect them. And his efforts appear to have paid off with several Cave Club alum pursuing careers in similar fields. His past students have gone on to study ways to inoculate bats against White-Nose and advocate for the wild places.

Junior Hazel Lowell began with the cave club her freshman year and has fallen in love with it.

“Cave club brings so many unique qualities to the community, it’s a chance for teens to try something completely unique and perhaps even find their passions in life,” she said.

Bodenhamer’s passion for caves and the kids he teaches is evident.

“I think there could be a lot more programs like this one if people with unique backgrounds became teachers,” Bodenhamer said. “Being able to share my love of caves with students is what has kept me teaching.”