Sanders Cave is located in Illinois. Though quite a short cave (estimated only 300 feet long, and 35 feet deep), it houses a year-round population of federally endangered Indiana bats. The steep sinkhole entrance makes a perfect cold air sink which makes the critically stable temperatures these animals require. The remote location of the site makes it difficult for National Forest rangers to patrol, and this in turn makes the site a prime attraction for vandals.
An ACCA style cave gate was installed in September 1999 by
a small team of specialists from Pennsylvania, Sanders, O'Mahaney,
and Chenger. The installation took only three days, despite the
gate location being 100 feet inside the 35 foot deep entrance
sink.
(The name of this cave has been changed to protect
location)
