{"id":6066,"date":"2015-04-01T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2015-04-01T16:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lastbestnews.com\/site\/?p=6066"},"modified":"2015-04-03T10:23:07","modified_gmt":"2015-04-03T16:23:07","slug":"mysterious-cave-in-yellowstone-at-center-of-legal-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/2015\/04\/mysterious-cave-in-yellowstone-at-center-of-legal-dispute\/","title":{"rendered":"Mysterious cave in Yellowstone at center of legal dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rocks\"<\/a>

Jim Peaco, NPS<\/p>

A cave recently found along the boundary of Yellowstone National Park was revealed after a shift in basalt columns similar to those found in the park\\’s northern range.<\/p><\/div>\n

UPDATE<\/strong>: It has come to our attention that many readers failed to realize that this was an April Fool’s Day story. The writer, Ruffin Prevost, had hoped that the “yeti toe” would have provided enough of a clue, together with the links in the story to his previous April 1 spoofs. But apparently not. We repeat: This was a spoof, just like our story<\/a> last April 1 about the gentleman surfing in the BBWA Canal.<\/em><\/p>\n

GARDINER\u2014Court filings made public on Monday reference a treasure trove of one-of-a-kind artifacts described as an \u201cAmerican Pompeii\u201d at the center of a legal dispute between the federal government and a Montana rancher, lifting the veil on a long-secret research project at the edge of Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n

At stake is ownership of hundreds or perhaps thousands of well-preserved animal remains, including fossils of long-extinct mammals, as well as what researchers believe are among the earliest tools and ceremonial objects ever found in the region. Human remains may also be present at the site, based on motions filed on behalf of tribal interests.<\/p>\n

Government and university archaeologists have been toiling in secret for the last few years to unearth, preserve, catalog and study the contents of a large cave along the northern boundary of Yellowstone Park. Exactly how much of the cave lies within Yellowstone and how much is on a private ranch is central to a federal lawsuit that will determine whether its contents wind up in public or private hands.<\/p>\n

But only broad strokes of the historic find have been outlined in court documents, and both sides\u2014along with a federal judge\u2014are declining to provide key details, citing concerns about keeping the site safe and secure from curious hikers or treasure hunters.<\/p>\n

The lack of solid information in the case has given rise to rumors and speculation about everything from mythical creatures<\/a> to alien technology, said one independent archaeologist not connected to the dig.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gotten calls about pieces of a flying saucer being found, as well as one gentleman who claimed to have a yeti toe<\/a>\u201d from the site, said Leonard Gutveldt, an archaeologist with the University of Montana in Missoula.<\/p>\n

Gutveldt said he has been in touch with locals around Gardiner about the site for the past year, as well as with researchers who claim to have worked in the cave. But independently verifying information has proven difficult, he said.<\/p>\n

After reviewing newly released court filings and other documents made available this week, Gutveldt said the site \u201ccould prove to be more amazing than anything else ever found in Yellowstone, from Old Faithful<\/a> to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CapreAir_Variable\"<\/a><\/div><\/div>\u201cThis looks very much like what I could only describe as an American Pompeii,\u201d said Gutveldt. The cave, referred to in court documents as Bone Creek Cavern, appears to hold specimens as plentiful and well-preserved as the ancient Italian city of Pompeii, buried in ash when volcanic Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut where Pompeii was a single event, Bone Creek Cavern appears to have been subject to a series of floods and other unique natural process that trapped and preserved animals and people in many separate incidents over thousands of years,\u201d Gutveldt said.<\/p>\n

Court documents allude to the remains of long-extinct ice age mammals like the North American lion and the American cheetah, as well as projectile points, pottery shards and \u201cwhat may be the remains of human adults and children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Butte on behalf of a Montana rancher identified only as \u201cJohn Doe,\u201d Bone Creek Cavern straddles the boundary between Yellowstone and private land owned by Doe. The sprawling complex could stretch underground for a half-mile or more, according to court records.<\/p>\n

Judge Garland issued a motion last week making public some of the filings in Doe\u2019s lawsuit, while keeping some documents under seal and partially redacting others.
\nThe initial complaint, much of which was heavily redacted by the court, was filed in August 2012. It appears to center around access to the site itself, as well as ownership of items found inside.<\/p>\n

Janet Kersten-Hoff, a Billings attorney representing Doe, said the rancher\u2019s nephew discovered the cave in May 2010 after a spring flood and series of tremors caused a basalt formation to split away from a rock cliff.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter discovering the cave, my client worked diligently to secure it and ensure its contents would go undisturbed. But as with so many other issues across the West, the federal government decided it needed to get involved, despite having no standing,\u201d Kersten-Hoff said. \u201cIt\u2019s yet another case of classic federal overreach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal attorneys contend in court documents that Doe was \u201clooting the cave in secret,\u201d before its discovery was known to park officials, and question whether \u201ccountless irreplaceable treasures may already have been spirited away, never to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kersten-Hoff maintains that Doe used GPS readings and \u201cother careful measurements\u201d to limit his activities to those portions of the cave that were \u201centirely on his own private property,\u201d and that federal authorities have launched a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d meant to intimidate and silence him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he had done something he shouldn\u2019t have, my client would have been charged with a crime, and he hasn\u2019t been,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a case of Big Brother wanting to bully all the kids on the playground into giving up all their marbles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yellowstone spokesman Stan Thatch said that shortly after park officials heard about Bone Creek Cavern in summer 2010, they began confidential discussions with Doe to determine the best way to preserve and document its contents.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the private party and Yellowstone staff agreed that it was in everyone\u2019s best interest not to publicly disclose details about this very sensitive site,\u201d Thatch said. \u201cIt is not at all uncommon for researchers to take a low-profile approach with these kinds of situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both sides agreed to let government and university archaeologists work the site as part of an initial survey aimed at determining the extent of the find, and to map the entire complex. Because the cave\u2019s lone entrance can only be reached from Doe\u2019s property, an access agreement was drafted allowing both sides certain rights, according to court filings.<\/p>\n

Specific details on the cave\u2019s size and location were not revealed in court documents. Judge Garland stated in a March 17 order that no parties may discuss \u201cany element of the case that might reveal the cave\u2019s contents or its location,\u201d including Doe\u2019s identity or geographic specifics of the surrounding area. \u201cBone Creek\u201d appears to be a euphemistic place name used informally by researchers, and does not refer to any specific drainage in the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be a tragedy if a site like this were to be plundered or damaged by looters or careless wanderers,\u201d Gutveldt said.<\/p>\n

Thatch said the cave\u2019s entrance is securely locked, and a range of \u201cremote monitoring equipment is in place that will let us know if someone is trespassing.\u201d<\/p>\n

But whether anyone will be entering the cave anytime soon is the most pressing issue outlined in court documents filed on behalf of Doe in a string of back-and-forth filings going back more than two years.<\/p>\n

Kersten-Hoff successfully argued in motions unsealed this week that the dispute over Bone Creek Cavern should be public, because the actions of the National Park Service amount to a \u201ctaking\u201d of Doe\u2019s private property, or at least an unreasonable restriction on how he may use his own land.<\/p>\n

Gutveldt said similar archaeological sites in Wyoming hint at what might lie undiscovered in Bone Creek Cavern.<\/p>\n

Natural Trap Cave<\/a>, located on federal land in the Bighorn Mountains, was opened to researchers last summer, and has yielded fossils of ancient bears, mammoths and camels.<\/p>\n

Mummy Cave<\/a>, located in the Shoshone National Forest just east of Yellowstone, was used by native peoples dating back 9,000 years, Gutveldt said. Researchers there found dozens of stratified layers yielding hides, bone, wood, feathers and even mummified human remains.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the gossip and rumors I\u2019ve been hearing about Big Bone Cavern, along with what I\u2019ve read in the court papers, this could make both of those sites pale in comparison,\u201d Gutveldt said. \u201cI\u2019m hoping they can work a deal to make whatever they find available to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other more outlandish gossip and rumors continue to swirl around the cave, including one popular local legend that it held \u201calien technology.\u201d That idea has been fueled by a widely circulated court document listing sealed legal motions filed by attorneys for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, Tesla Motors and Apple Computer, among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause we\u2019ve only seen the names of those entities, but not their actual filings, I can\u2019t imagine why they\u2019d be interested,\u201d Gutveldt said. \u201cIt is very much out of the ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thatch said he had no information on the unusual court filings, while Kersten-Hoff would say only that her client \u201chas been in touch with a lot of people about some of the more unusual items located on his private property.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kersten-Hoff said her client \u201cwasn\u2019t dead-set against a deal\u201d that could see all of the cave\u2019s contents placed in public hands, \u201cbut he has to be compensated fairly, and treated with some measure of appropriate respect\u201d by federal authorities.<\/p>\n

Gutveldt is still awaiting results from an analysis of the purported yeti toe.<\/p>\n

Contact Ruffin Prevost at 307-213-9818 or ruffin@yellowstonegate.com. Reprinted with permission from YellowstoneGate.com<\/a>,\u00a0an\u00a0independent, online news service about Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks and their gateway communities.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UPDATE: It has come to our attention that many readers failed to realize that this was an April Fool’s Day story. The writer, Ruffin Prevost, had hoped that the “yeti toe” would have provided enough of a clue, together with the links in the story to his previous April 1 spoofs. But apparently not. We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":6067,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[2297,2298,2296,63,119],"class_list":["post-6066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diversions","tag-mummy-cave","tag-natural-trap-cave","tag-pompeii","tag-university-of-montana","tag-yellowstone-national-park","prominence-category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/montana-mint.com\/lastbestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}