Thhe light system of the Fairgrounds Tour at Wind Cave has been renovated during the last two winters. It is now open although a small part is still to do. This last piece will be completed next winter.
The renovation works included the installation of 295 lights wired with some 8.5 kilometers of special cable. The replaced light was installed in the 1950s.
Pictograph Cave is actually a series of three overhanging cliffs – rock shelters – with drawings by native inhabitants. The site was used by prehistoric hunters for 4,500 years, who left numerous remains in the ground and pictures of warrior figures and animals on the walls.
The site is managed by the State Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), which now plans to construct a new Visitor Center for the small park. The center is expected to open next spring. The building will cost $850,000 plus $150,000 for the museum inside. The project is financed by the state park entrance fees, accommodation
taxes, coal taxes, and motorboat taxes. Montanans can also pay a voluntary $4 state parks fee when they register their vehicles, on the other hand admission to the park is free for them.
The building is planned by Kim Olsen from O2 Architects. It will employ green technologies, such as ground source heating and cooling, light use optimized by motion-sensors, insulation using soy foam and low-flow plumbing fixtures. Rain water collected from the roof will be used for watering the surroundings, and rain water on the paths will be allowed to soak back into the ground by a pervious pavement.
Another improvement will also be made during the construction: a new trail between the Pictograph and Ghost caves. However, the current planning is porblematic as on the route a hearth with bison bones and charcoal some 850 years old where discovered. Probably the site will first be discovered before the trail is paved.
Construction of the buliding will start in August, and is scheduled to be completed in Spring next year.
Meghalaya Tourism, Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDF) and Meghalaya Adventurers Association (MAA) are planning to create tourist cave visits in caves on the plateau with its enormous caves. The MAA is exploring caves for several years now, often in international teams, which allowed foreign cavers to see the caves and share their knowledge concerning caving and scientific research in caves including surveying. They also guided spelunking tours for tourists, but they are about the same difficulty level as normal caving trips and thus not suitable for normal tourists.
Plans to develop caves are several years old, but so far the area lacks all necessary infrastructure, including accommodation, roads, and of course cave development. It seams this will change soon, as the MTDF will invest in the infrastructure. The necessary steps in the development of a show cave will be the decision for one cave, the construction of a road to the cave plus electric power and the development of the cave of course. The necessary infrastructure is planned to be completed by 2010.
The need for a show cave is great, as it would draw tourist dollars into the rather remote and poor area. It could also be an alternative to the current limestone mining which creates huge environmental problems and is also a thread to the caves.