Spiral stairs leading to the mouth of SandiaCave, viewed from the half-mile trailfrom theparking lot. Photo by Pete Lindsley.

Sandia Cave (formerly as Sandia ManCave), high in the walls of Las HuertasCanyon in northern New Mexico, holdscultural and spiritual significance for severalof the surrounding tribes. Lying within theMadera limestone formation dated to thePennsylvanian Age, Sandia Cave has averified Folsom component and evidence ofhuman use for as many as 10,000 years. Assuch. the site is a National Historic Landmarkthat has played an important role in thehistory of archaeological thought aboutthe Paleoindian period and Southwesternarchaeology.

The cave is also a popular touristdestination and has been open to the publicfor many decades. A 466.4-foor horizontalsolution cavity proximaie io the city ofAlbuquerque, New Mexico, Sandia Caveis navigable by explorers of all experiencelevels. The site is accessible by car andappears on many maps and navigation apps.

The site features a half-mile accesstrail with spectacular views and a thrilling20 |oot spiral staircase to the cave mouth.Un{ortunately, the same ease of access thatallows visitors to experience the historic andnatural richness of Sandia Cave also leaves

the site vulnerable to vandalism.

Snnorn Gnve AncHeoLoctcALCoNTRoVERSY

Much of Sandia Cave's notoriety in thetwentieth century derived from the contro-

ia Cave Restoration; National Historic LanSandra Arazi-Coambs-USFS and Carrin Rich-Sandia Gvotto

versial work of Frank Cummings Hibben(1970-2002). professor of Anthropology atthe University of New Mexico, and his searchfor evidence of pre-Folsom culture in NorthAmerica. Hibben conducted excavations inSandia Cave from 1936 through 1941, andattempted to associate prehistoric humanmaterial with extinct Pleistocene fauna,including mammoth, mastodon, horse, andcamel.

Because his excavations were conductedprior to acceptance of radiocarbon datingin the 1950s. his interpretaiion was basedon the stratigraphy of the cave. Hibbenpurported that below a Folsom Age strati-graphic layer that contained several flutedprojectile points was a layer of materialwhere Pleistocene fauna were found inassocialion wilh a distinct type of stoneprojectile poini.

This type of point. dubbed Sandiapoints" by Hibben, had a single-shoulderedside reminiscent of Solutrean points foundin northwest Europe (22,000 - 17,000 B.P.)

The {ind was significant, as it suggested thathuman use of Sandia Cave represented theearliest known occupation in North America,predating the Folsom period. which was theoldest esiablished period at that time.

Controversy erupted regarding the trueage o[ the points. as other archaeologistsquestioned the cave's actual stratigraphy andwhether Hibben himself had planted the arti-facts. Hibben's contemporaries questionedwhether the stratigraphy of the cave wasintact and if layers had been mixed by rodentactivity, artificially integrating later period

artifacts into earlier layers. Following a series

of published academic articles questioningthe veracity of the finds at Sandia Cave,Hibben s work was largely discredited.

SpoRnorc HUMAN Use GonrrRueoRecpnl rpanalvsis of faunal material

from the Hibben excavations has providedadequate closure to the debate surroundingprehistoric human use of Sandia Cave. In a2008 analysis of patterns of bone fragmenta-tion, researchers concluded that carnivoresintroduced most of the bones recoveredfrom the cave, including those from extinctPloiclneono cnoeiac

Human use of the cave appears to be

sporadic, and only two percent oi the bonesanalgzed in the siudy displayed evidence ofpossible human modification. in the formof cut and percussion marks, charring, andbone tool manufacture. Subsequent studieswhere modified bone material was subjeciedto radiocarbon dating indicate thai there isno evidence ior human use of the cave priorto the Folsom period.

Despite the controversy surroundingHibben's excavation results, the debatethat ensued over Sandia Cave continues tobe taught in the history of Paleoindian andSouthwestern archaeology. Popular andprofessional articles revisiting the site anddiscussing ihe Hibben controversy continueto be published inro rhe 2I century andsuggest that Sandia Cave has significancebecause of its persistent use from thePaleoindian period to the present.

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A group of archaeology students who assisted in the first year ofHibben excavations and survey, circa 1936, with a fresh surveymark on the left wall and a K&E transit on a wooden tripod. (photocredit unknown; property of the Maxwell Museum).

Right:Red ocher lines (enhancedwith PhotoShop) on thecave ceiling that Loubserconsiders to be "ofconsiderable antiquity,"as they underlie the yellowocher handprints. Alsovisible here are historicmarkings from the Hibbenexcavations. (photo byJannie Loubser)

PnnrrueRs IN APPRoPRIATE RESTORATION

SrRnrecvIn fall 2013 the Cibola National Forest

and National Grasslands paired with SandiaGrotto to address the possibility of restoringSandia Cave to a more natural-looking state.Developing an action plan to mitigate degra-dation at Sandia posed special challenges dueto the multitude of agencies and groups thatare concerned with the cave. have ancestralties to that land, or are involved in its ongo-lng management.

Discussion of restoration strategieswas conducted over a two-year period andinvolved extensive outreach and collabora-tion with Pueblo tribal members. state and{ederal governments, and specialisis in graf-fiLi removal. archaeology. and cave science.Once a proposal was developed, it had to bereviewed internally by USFS, the NationalPark Service, New Mexico Department ofCultural Af{airs, affiliated tribal members,and experts from the National SpeleologicalSociety (NSS), the NSS SouthwesternRegion (SWR). and Sandia Grotto.

In January 2015 UNM PublicArchaeology graduate student KatherineShaum collaborated with Sandia Grottoand USFS to submit a grant to New MexicoHistoric Preservation Division to fund therestoration. The grant was awarded andprovided $76.777 toward the project. RockArt Restoration Specialist Jannie Loubser ofStratum Unlimited in Alpharetta, Georgia

[www. stratumunlimited. com] was contractedto lead the restoration. Dr. Loubser's experience with restoring other natural and culturalsites throughout the American West andhis sensitivity to art forms that are all butobscured by graffitl placed him in a uniquenosilion to lpad the rpstoration e[[orl at

Sandia.

Covrplex OveRlnvs ReeurReo SpEcrALExpeRttse

Mounting a wide-scale restoration atSandia Cave was complex for a number ofreasons. The graffiti covering the site hadaccumulated over a number of decades andexisted in layers and in mulLiple varyingmedia. Restoration techniques that mightwork on one layer wouldn't necessarily worknn lho nawt l>r rar

I ikpwisp the rock surface o[ the cave

and trail varies in its composition, so removaltechniques that worked on one instance ofgra{fiti wouldn't necessarily be eflective on

CulrunnUSprRrruAL SrrE MARRED BY

VnlronlrswtEven while this site holds contemporary

cultural and spiritual significance to manysurrounding Native American communities,the integrity of Sandia Cave diminishedextensively throughout the 1990s and early2000s. The mouth of the cave. its first twochambers. and the metal infrastructure bywhich the cave is accessed were heavilyand repeatedly vandalized with spray paint,marker, nail polish, and etching.

The cave walls were severely sootedand blackened by fires illegally lit in its inte-rior, and large amounts of graffiti and litterappeared along the trail from the parkingarea. USFS archaeologists concerned withSandia Cave (as well as NSS cave restora-tion specialists Val Hildreth Werker and JimWerker) believed that the heavy graffiti atihe site potentially obscured valuable historicand prehistoric markings on the rock surfaceof the cave.

Forest Service Archaeologist Sandra Arazi-Coambs orients visitorsto the in-progress restoration efforts during the Cave Open Housepublic day. Photo by Pete Lindsley.

First chamber pre-restoration; Pete Lindsley uses a Disto to measureopening dimensions. Photo by Val Hildreth-Werker.

l2 NSS News, April2016

Jannie Loubser applies potassium hydroxidewith a rolling poultice to remove spray paintfrom the ceiling of the first chamber.

a neighboring instance, even if only a footaway.

And throughout the site, any given graffito might be overlying historic or prehistoricmarkings of unique and irreplaceable value.Effeciive techniques for removing graffiti butpreserving any potential underlying featureshad to be customized for each of the 75discrete instances of defacement that wereremoved during the restoration.

Addinn tn iha ehellonnac i< lho feet. ''"..,5

that Sandia Cave is positioned some 300feet above the floor of Las Huertas Canyon.Materials had to be hauled manually up anddown this rise, including rinse water fromLas Huertas Creek. which Dr. Loubserrecommended for its chemical similarityto the natural elements the site is normallyexposed to.

Great care had to be taken to captureall runoff and washed-off debris so no paintremains collected on the floor of the cave todamage the site further.

VALUABLE VoLUNTEERS TRAINED oN SITEAfter an initial site assessment in April

2015. Dr. Loubser returned to mount thebulk of the restoration effort. with assistanceof USFS employees irom multiple rangerdistricts throughout New Mexico, and atremendous outpouring of volunteer supportfrom Site Watch, SWR, and Sandia Grotto,and members of the general public from theAlbuqueroue area.

DStretch of prehistoric handprint on theceiling, made in the yellow ocher that isnaturally occurring in the cave. Photo byMike Bilbo.

For two consecutive weeks in June andJuly 2015, the site was closed io the publicand Dr. Loubser set about training volunteersin specialized removal techniques. More than32 individuals logged volunteer hours withUSFS during the project, totaling some 670labor hours.

T- ^. . rL ^ .. ^ .+ - ..- +: rn effort at Sandiar u >ay Lr r< r g>LUl4Lt(

Cave was nearly entirely volunteer-basedwould not be an understatement. UnderLoubser's guidance, volunteers trained othervolunteers and were immediately able toapply what they were learning to the rocksurfaces of the site.

HreRnRcny oF GRAFFTII ASSESSMENT/

REMovAL TecnlrreursA wide variety of removal techniques

were employed al Sandia Cave. startingwith safer "dry" techniques and moving onto riskier "wet" techniques that involved theuse of solvents where needed.

Bpforp work hpoan areas in lhe secondchamber that might contain fragile underly-ing markings of historic significance weremarked off with painter's blue masking tape,and left undisturbed.

1-Dry Methods FirstOn each area of graffiti designated for

removal. we first used dry paintbrushes toremove loose dirt and dry dust from manyrock surfaces. Next, we tried nylon-bristlebrushes. Then we used steel brushes of vari-ous sizes, nylon or steel dental picks, andelbow grease to chip away materials thatreadily dislodged from the rock. Battery oper-ated drills with rotating steel-haired brushesand Dremel drills with diamond-tipped bitswere ellective on more resistant and etchedgraffiti.

Outside of the cave. we used a tungslen-tipped Paasche air eraser on eleven surfacesites. However, its efficacy was limited by thephysical infeasibility of employing a portablegenerator and compressor unit at the site.The carbon dioxide tank with pressuregauge provided insufficient air pressure formost media. Containing the aluminum oxideparticles blasted forth by the eraser provedproblematic for use inside the cave.

2-Greek Water Rinse RequiredEven with these "dry" techniques.

multiple creek water rinses were neces-sary to {acilitaie complete removal, and all

75 instances of graffiti that were removedfrom the site depended on the applicationof water. We employed many disposablerag cloths and sturdy lowlint paper towelsto catch applied water before it floweddown rock surfaces. Pooling of any sortwas disallowed. Used rags and towels weretransported off-site daily, and we broughtalong iresh, clean rags and towels for each

Jannie Loubser uses a Dremel tool to breakup and blend etched graffiti in the firstchamber. PhotoS by Pete Lindsley.

day's work.Paper towels soaked in water were

applied as poultices on nine panels withinthe cave and were effeclive in lifting bondeddust from the rock surface.

3-Specially Tested Products andProtocol

All solvents used in the Sandia Caverestoration were biodegradable and of neutralpH. [Please note: biodegradable also canmean "yummy for biota" and can be harm-ful to bio-films, invertebrates, bats, otheranimals, and even humans; we used theseproducts only in the broad entrance areawhere there is open ventilation and minimalintermittent cave life.]

The most elfective solvents were ThisStuff WorksrM Multi-Master (containing potas-sium hydroxide), Sensitive Suriace GraffitiRemoverrM (containing limonene plant oil),and Elephant SnotrM (active ingredientsunspecified by manufacturer).

Which of ihese would be most effec-tive on any given graffito was determinedby testing first. A small cotton-wad poulticewrapped on a wooden stick was soaked witha solvent. then rolled over a porrion of thegraffito to gauge how much material wastransferred onto the cotton by each solvent.

The most effective solvent was thenapplied either by the tedious cotton poulticemethod to remove media laver-bvlaver. or

Jannie Loubser and two volunteers use papertowel poultices and steel dental picks toremove acrylic paint. Photo by Pete Lindsley.

NSS NEWS. Anrll2016 13

First chamber of Sandia Cave, pre'restoration. Layers of spray-painted graffiti on the walls and extensive smoke damage along the

ceiling are evident. Photo by Pete Lindsley.

First chamber of Sandia Cave, post-restoration. The naturalappearance achieved here has been greeting visitors sinceJliy 2015, and to date remains unmarred by new graffiti' ScottChiistenson in background. Photo by Pete Lindsley.

with a paintbrush application to a small,manageable area. The treated area was

then scrubbed with a steel brush and care-

iully rinsed repeatedly with water, employing

special vigilance to catch all the rinse water

containing solvent.Rinsing with creek water during and

after removal with solvents was vital through-

out the site to ensure no solvent residue

splashed, sprayed, or remained on the rock.

We completed each small area beiore moving

and treating the next small area.

Volunteers conducting the removal were

ubiquitously seen balancing a spray bottleof water, a cloth rag for blotting, a steel

brush for scrubbing, and a small container

of solvent with paintbrush for application.The process was painstaking, repetitive,

and slow-moving, and involved treating the

same area multiple times to remove graffitilayer-by-layer. This conservative approach,

while time-consuming. allowed for safe and

controlled removal while preventing damage

to underlying rock and any markings ofarchaeological signiiicance.

4-Pro Camouflage Finishing afterGraffiti Removal

Post-removal camouflaging was required

on more than half the instances of graffiti at

Sandia Cave. Hard brushing and abrasive

techniques had the poteniial to remove notjust unwanted graffiti but the outer skin ofthe rock as well.

Lighter-colored patches that were left

in these instances required the application

o{ inorganic pigment powders to visually

blend the treated area with the surround-

ing rock. Many volunteers were surprised

to learn of this additive component of the

restoration process; graffiti was first removed

and camouflaging was then applied wiihartistic feathering and blending to achieve a

complete restoration.The camouflages used at Sandia were

Earth Pigments (dark umber, burnt sienna,

and light-yellow ocher), as well as charcoalharvested from fires burned in the vicin-ity-the carbon remains of the area's natural

vegetation. For each instance oi grai{iti, the

color profile oi the surrounding rock was

assessed and a customized combination ofpigments was mixed.

Creek water was aPPlied to wet the

surface to be treated, and the pigmentmixture was combined with creek water tomake a paintJike liquid ihat could be applied

to the rock surface with a fluffed paintbrush

or spray bottle.Charcoal was frequently applied dry,

and was especially eifective in camouilag-ing etched graf{iii inside the cave. While the

lighter pigmenls were used extensively on

the lower surfaces of the cave and exposed

trail rocks. a mixture of black manganesepigment powder and pulverized charcoal

was employed on the ceiling of the cave to

blend with the darker sur{aces found there

Volunteers followed protocols clearly

deiined by Dr. Loubser, first employingdry techniques, then moving through the

testing and removal strategies described

above. All grafiiti and markings in the cave

were photodocumented and tied to suruey

points before any removal began. Historicmarkings and potential cultural markings

on the walls and ceilings were inventoried,photodocumented, and marked off-limits iorthe duration of the restoration project.

PueLtc OUTREAcH lruroRunrtou EvrnrOne oi the most valuable and enduring

aspects of the Sandia Cave restoration proj-

ect was the Cave Open House that was held

on June 27'h in the midst of the restoration

work. For this single day the site was opened

to the public, and over a hundred visitors

had the opportunity to see the restoration in

progressr to speak with volunteers from theirown communiiies who were carrying out the

work, and to get guided tours of the cave

from USFS Cave Specialist Jason Walz and

USFS Archaeologist Sandra Arazi-Coambs.

Reporters from local news outlets covered

ihe event, and the project was publicized

in both print and television. enabling the

restoration effort to reach an even broader

audience.

EttcouRnclruc OurcoMESThe results of the restoraiion work at

Sandia Cave are both striking and enduring.

Since the end of the project in July, no new

graffiti has appeared in the caue, Iendingcredence to the idea that grat'fiti attractsmore graff iti, and that a site that is clean and

well-maintained is more likely to remain so

To protect the achievements attained

during the restoration, Sandia Grotto volun-

leers and USFS employees implementedweekly monitoring of the site immediately

following the restoration, and that monitoring continues today. Fewer than ten new

incidents of graifiti have appeared along

the trail since the end of the restoration.These incidents are small in size, and have

been photodocumented and painied over

or removed and camouflaged quickly aiterapplication.

The ongoing. visible presence of these

volunteers offers opportunities to connect

with and educate the visiting public. and

communicates that this is a site that is actively

cared for and respected.A new standard of comPortment

appears to be emerging at Sandia Cave,

evidenced by a reduction in litter, partying,

and abuse o{ the site. Through the efforts

of all who have contributed. Albuquerque's"sacrifice cave" is becoming a place of educa-

tion. awareness, and respect for our commonnatural and cultural heritage. For updates on

the continuing restoration of Sandia Cave,

visit Sandia Grotto s Web sile at htlp://caves. org/grotto/sandia,/Sandia Cave,/

t4 NSS NEWS, April2016