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MUSIC AND GRFX:
CHET LAYMAN: THURSDAY MORNING
TIME ONCE AGAIN FOR
THIS WEEK IN FISH AND WILDLIFE.
WE’RE ONCE AGAIN INSIDE LEWIS
AND
CLARK CAVERNS, TOM FORWOOD
JOINING US AGAIN WE WERE HERE A
WHILE AGO WORK JUST STARTING ON
SOME OF THE HAND RAILINGS NOW
BEHIND US NOW ALMOST DONE. TELL
ME ABOUT THE WORK YOU’RE
SEEING BEHIND US HERE.
TOM FORWOOD/L C CAVERNS: YEA SO
WE’RE GETTING TO OUR FINAL
STAGES
WHICH IS THE HARD PART WHICH IS
HAND RAILING INSTALLATION AND
THE REASON THAT IT’S THE HARD
PART IS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO BE
CUT
CUSTOM TO FIT IN THE CAVE. WE
CANT MAKE THE CAVE FIT TO THE
HAND RAILS SO WE HAVE TO GO THE
OTHER WAY WHILE MOST PLACES YOU
JSUT DESIGN A SET OF STAIRS TO
MAKE THE HAND RAILS LINE UP AND
ITS
FINE. AS WE’RE GOING THIS IS
COMING ALONG PRETTY WELL
WE’VE ONLY GOT A COUPLE RAILS
LEFT TO COME MOST AS YOU CAN SEE
ARE INSTALLED THEY JUST NEED TO
BE SET WITH GROUT WHICH IS KIND
OF
THE EASY PART ONCE YOU GET THEM
CUT AND FIT WE’RE ALMOST
HOME.
CHET: THE THING THAT I NOTICED
IMMEDIATELY IS THEY’RE SLEEKER
THEY’RE MORE USER FRIENDLY FOR
HANDS YOU WERE TALKING TO
ME ABOUT THE MATERIALS MUCH MORE
ADAPTIVE TO FOLKS WHO MAYBE
HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE COLD
TEMPERATURES OR THE COOLER
TEMPERATURES THAT WE FIND IN THE
CAVERNS.
TOM: SURE, YEA WHEN WE FIRST PUT
A HAND RAILS IN OF THE NEWER
TYPE BACK IN 2007 OUR FIRST WAVE
OF PROJECT OF UPDATING OUR
LIGHTS THEY WERE ANODIZED
ALUMINUM WHICH ARE NICE THEY
HOLD UP PRETTY WELL IN THESE
CONDITIONS BUT THEY’RE VERY
CONDUCTIVE SO PEOPLE WHO ARE
ARTHRITIC CONDITIONS O
SOMETHING ARE GRABBING THOSE ITS
VERY COLD EVEN THOUGH ITS
47 DEGREES BEING CONDUCTIVE ITS
JUST PULLING THE HEAT RIGHT OUT
OF
YOUR HAND AND THATS NOT
COMFORTABLE FOR PEOPLE ITS GIV
YOU ACHES AND PAINS. EVEN THOUGH
STAINLESS STEEL IS
CONDUCTIVE ITS NOT AS MUCH SO SO
ITS A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE
EXPERIENCE AND ITS GOING TO
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GRAB
AND USE THE HAND RAILS WHICH IS
WHAT WE WANT FROM A SAFETY
PERSPECTIVE.
CHET: ALSO THE LIGHTING
CONTAINED WITHIN THE HAND
RAILING
THAT’S, WHAT A SAFETY FEATURE
THAT IS.
TOM: YEA AND ONE OF OUR BIGGEST
PROBLEMS WE’VE NOTICED OVER TH
LAST 15 OR SO YEARS IS PEOPLE
COMING THROUGH THAT JUST DON’T
HAVE VERY GOOD NIGHT VISION DONT
HAVE THE BEST LIKE ADJUSTING
OVER TIME TO DARKER CONDITIONS
AND THE TRAIL ITSELF
HAS NEVER REALLY BEEN LIT UP. WE
LIGHT THE FEATURES AND ALL
BUT ITS HARD TO GET LIGHTS ON
THE TRAIL WITHOUT ALSO GETTI
THEM IN YOUR EYES. AND THE
ADVANTAGE OF THE HAND RAIL THA
WE’VE BEEN GOING TO SINCE 2007
AND CONTINUING NOW IS TH
DOWNWARD LIGHT COMING OUT OF THE
RAIL IS JUST LIGHTING THE TRAIL
ITS NOT COMING BACK AND FLASHING
THE EYES AND ITS
DOING A GREAT JOB OF CREATING A
KIND OF A NICE AESTHETICAL
PLEASING SET AS WELL AS A SAFETY
SITUATIO
CHET: YEA YOU MENTIONED THAT
AESTHETICS, THAT IS JSUT
FANTASTIC
NOTHING DISTRACTING FROM WHAT
YOU SEE HERE IN THE
CAVERNS. THE LIGHTING BRINGING
SOME FEATURES THAT WE’VE MAYBE
NEVER SEEN BEFORE BUT THAT HAND
RAILING I CAN FIND IT BUT IT
ISN’T
THE ONLY THING I’M LOOKING AT.
I’M ABLE TO PICK THAT UP SEE
WHERE I’M
GOING MY FEET KNOW WHERE THEY’RE
GOING AND I CAN STILL
ENJOY ALL FEATURES HERE IN THE
CAVERNS.
TOM: YEA AND WE CAN EVEN TWEEK
WITH THE DRIVERS A LITTLE TO DIM
THEM JUST A LITTLE BIT SO
THEY’RE STILL GIVING PLENTY OF
LIGH
BUT LIKE YOU SAID YOU DON’T WANT
THEM TO DISTRACT FROM THE
FEATURES IN THE CAVE AND YOU
STILL REALLY PICK THOSE OUT AND
THEY POP TO YOU AND THAT’S KIND
OF OUR GOAL HERE IS TO PROVIDE
SAFETY WHILE ALSO THE EXPERIENCE
OF BEING IN THE CAVE.
CHET: YOU’VE BEEN IN THE CAVERNS
A LOT MAYBE AS MUCH AS ANYBODY
AROUND,. JUST LOOKING AT IT WITH
THE WAY THE LIGHTINGS GOING
AND THE WORK HAS BEEN GOING ON
ITS HASN’T DIMINISHED IN FACT
MAYBE
ENHANCED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT
FOR YEARS.
TOM: YEA AND IT’S A FINE BALANCE
BECAUSE THERE’S THINGS THAT YOU
STILL WANT TO HAVE DARK PLACES
THAT’S THE BIG THING YOU REALLY
WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE FEATURES
BUT STILL HAVE DARK
CORNERS BECASUE ITS A CAVE AND
YOU WANT TO HAVE THAT CAVE FEEL
AND IF YOU LOSE THAT IT
DIMINISHES OVERALL. BUT WE’VE
DEFINITELY
POINTED OUT AND BROUGHT OUT SOME
FEATURES THAT YOU MAY
HAVE MISSED BEFORE THAT ARE
STILL ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS AND
SHOULD BE EXPOSED TO THE HUMAN
EYE. i MEAN I’VE HAD A COUPLE
THINGS JUST WALKING THROUGH
TODAY WITH YOU THAT WAS LIKE
I’VE
NEVER SEEN THAT IN OVER TWO-
THOUSAND TRIPS THROUGH THE
CAVE THAT’S A RARE MOMENT FOR ME
SO THAT’S A PRETTY COOL
EXPERIENCE RIGHT THERE
CHET: I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT
IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE FOR THE
GENERLA
PULBIC THEN.
TOM: ABSOLUTELY.
CHET: TOM,. THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
AND THAT’S THIS WEEK IN FISH AND
WILDLIFE.
MUSIC AND GRFX.
Bus stop forecast this morning
showing clea
