History

History

The Cricket Maze Cave Conservancy grew out of the Cricket Maze Cave Association, Inc. that formed in 1985 after the discovery and purchase of Cricket Maze Cave.

Cricket Maze Cave was originally discovered in the early 1980s by John DiCarlo and Bob Bennett. In November 1984, John Powers and Elliott Greenwald rediscovered what Powers later named Cricket Maze Cave because of the numerous cave crickets and the maze-like nature of the cave.

The first exploring trips confirmed that there was much beautiful cave beyond the heavily trashed entrance room. The empty cans and bottles and discarded chicken bones did not extend past the first belly crawl, but the spray paint and broken formations did.

Lynn Ott noticed the property was for sale and Sam Fruits negotiated to buy the 5-acre site with the cave entrance. The sale was complete in March 1985.

Cricket Maze Cave Association (CMCA) was a small group of cavers who came together back then to protect the cave. The original group were all members of Sligo Grotto (cave club), but CMCA quickly grew to include the members of other groups. Shares were sold to each member to pay for the purchase and a set of bylaws were drawn up.

A field station was constructed on the property in 1988 and finished in 1989. Annual meetings occur at the field station in early November.

In late 2020,  CMCA evolved into the Cricket Maze Cave Conservancy, Ltd., which owns and protects the cave.