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Other protective measures were devised to minimize the human impact: Visitors entering the cave first pass through an air curtain that blows lint from their clothing; then they go through an area where mist forces any remaining lint against their clothing. As if that were not enough, special kick plates were constructed along the trail inside the cave to collect any lint or other foreign materials that visitors may be carrying on their shoes and that may alter Kartchner's fragile ecosystem. All visitors are told not to touch anything because oil from their skin can cause a formation to stop growing. As Tufts noted, "The quality and diversity of the formations in the cave are unusual. There's a little bit of everything in there, including a 50-foot-high column, a 30-foot-high stalagmite, and some rare formations called shields." There's also a 21-foot-long, 2-inch-diameter soda straw hanging from the ceiling of the Throne Room, which, until a slightly longer one was found in Australia, was the longest formation of this type in the world.

"But," asks Tufts, "what is the key point about Kartchner? Not that it is beautiful nor that it will spur growth in Benson, but the fact that it is in excellent condition and is being kept that way for posterity. That's why it's attractive. There is great drama here. Can the cave be kept in good condition with the park as the vehicle? That was the theory . . . conserving the cave by developing it. A great paradox . . . requiring constant vigilance." In addition to being an intriguing, living scientific laboratory, Kartchner Caverns enchant visitors because of the mystery that goes with a journey under the surface of the earth. Spelunkers who crawl into these unexplored worlds are sometimes compared to mountain climbers, perhaps because of their adventurous spirit, but Tufts points out a significant difference: "The appeal of caving is that you do not know what you're going to find. Does the cave continue or is it another dead end? Finding and exploring a cave like this one is like being a sculptor who finds the form he is seeking in the stone he's working. But with a discovery of this kind comes a responsibility to protect it because caves are not a renewable resource. Once a formation that has been growing for a million years is broken, it's never coming back."

Text provided by Arizona State Parks