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Howard's Waterfall Cave Preserve

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Howard's Waterfall Cave is a nice, easy horizontal cave for novice and experienced cavers alike. Re-mapping by members of the Dogwood City Grotto in 1987 doubled the length of the cave. The cave has been heavily visited for many decades, and has suffered abuse and vandalism, including spay paint on the walls and destruction of formations.

NOTICE: To help prevent the spread of the deadly White Nose Syndrome (WNS) affecting bat populations, please read the SCCi Cave Visitation Policy and follow these guidelines before visiting Howard's Cave:

• Before and after visiting the Preserve, thoroughly clean and decontaminate all clothing, footwear or gear that has been previously used in a cave in Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Kentucky (or in a WNS-Affected State prior to 2006), following the procedures outlined in the latest USFWS guidelines (see Attachment 2).
  
• Do not use any clothing, footwear or gear that you cannot adequately decontaminate.
  
• Do not use any clothing, footwear or gear that has been used since January 1, 2006 in any cave in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and/or West Virginia, regardless of decontamination protocols followed.

The cave achieved national notoriety on April 16, 1966 in what was known as the Howards Cave Disaster. Gasoline vapors from a leaking service station line accumulated in the cave and ignited while a group of Boy Scouts was visiting the cave Local caver Rusty Mills entered the cave to help evacuate the Scouts and was overcome by fumes. Rusty and two scout leaders died in the accident. Rustys Cave, located near Rising Fawn and now owned by the SCCi, was located but not entered by Rusty shortly before his death. The cave was named in his honor and a plaque was placed at the entrance.

Acreage: 1.25 acres (owned) in Dade County, Georgia
Property Manager: David Bain (howards@scci.org)
Access: Open. Use the Main Entrance only. The SCCi doesn't own the other entrances.

Commercial Use Statement
The Board of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (SCCi) reaffirms its standing policy that bans the commercial use of our properties, and specifically, prohibits any activity where a charge of any type is made. Should you have any questions, contact the SCCi Chair at chair@scci.org .