Park Projects and Volunteering
Onondaga Friends work on improvements for the cave and the surrounding Park, as per Park staff. Take a look at a few of the things we have going on at the Park. We keep this information as current as we can. Don’t forget you can also find out a lot of the most current events via Onondaga Friends Facebook page. If you have any questions about park projects or how you could get involved with OFA, please contact us.
A Few of our Projects:
Visitor Center Gardens
Onondaga Friends keep up with the Visitor Center Gardens by keeping the weeds pulled and caring for the native plants (and the zinnias!). General upkeep of the gardens keeps everyone’s walk from the parking lot up to the cave entrance a delightful sight, and the gardens help to keep the parking area cooler. Parking area gardens are there, thanks to the combined efforts of Park Staff and the Mirimaguoa Master Naturalists. Let us know if you enjoy landscaping and gardening – we will be creating more gardens in our Blue Heron Trail project, see below.
Come out for our Wildflower Walks and Cathedral Cave Night Tours offered by OFA volunteers and Master Naturalists, to enjoy and learn more about volunteering for the Park.
Cave Restoration
Contact us to inquire about cave clean-up and special projects. There is usually something to be done, from removing debris from previous cave owners to power washing the walkways and wiping down handrails. 
Many thanks to Jim Cooley, for in April of 2013, he completed a gate project for Cathedral Cave.
Additionally, due to many, many hours of work in the Missouri Caverns part of Onondaga Cave, rimstone dams have been exposed, cleaned of debris, and are now holding water and tiny invertebrates!
Park Maintenance
While park staff does a great job maintaining this beautiful Park, they often have a long to-do list. If you are interested and able to come in for a day or two – or even a few hours – to help with trail cleaning or other physical jobs, let us know and we will get you to the right person.
Special Events
We get excited about special events at Onondaga Cave and show our support by providing additional staffing, providing food, collecting donations for the park, assisting with the setup and take down for special events and conducting cave tours and nature education programs. The Park appreciates your assistance for any of our events, so please let us know how you can help!
Special Projects
Blue Heron Trail Cultural Interpretive Project
We have raised $7,200 toward our project goal to re-roof the old stone round house! We are clearing and mulching the overlook, creating restful places to enjoy the cave spring and Onondaga Lake.
We hope to rehab the old round stone building, if it meets the standards of a structural engineer. We will add interpretive displays, offering a panorama of Onondaga’s rich cultural and geologic history.
Benches & Tables for Blue Heron Trail Project
We hope to work with Eagle Scouts or Master Naturalists to build these as part of our trail project. Contact us if you are interested in contributing to our building projects.
Recycling Program
The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District (ORSWMD) granted OFA a Municipal Recycling Trailer and Bins! This will augment our ability to more efficiently recycle campground and local non-waste materials, allowing us to help our campers and local community learn about recycling. If you are interested in helping us keep up with the recycling here at the Park, please let us know! We look for ways to recycle and upcycle, so watch for future initiatives!
Did you know that Onondaga Cave State Park won the Missouri Agencies Recycling Award for 2015 and the 2016 Outstanding Contribution in Solid Waste Management Award? These awards were based on the amount of recycling the park does, the green and Missouri-made products sold in the gift shop, and the green events the park has emphasized!
Pipi the Bat Sculpture
We are expanding Onondaga’s Recycle Sculpture Park near the proposed Visitor Center Playground. The creation of local artist Sarah Carney of CarneyDirt, Pipi the Tri-color Bat will be a giant interpretive bat sculpture of the smallest bat in Missouri. Pipi will be made of over two tons of recycled material! This project is partially funded via grant through ORSWMD, and we hope to see it launch late 2020.
Pipi will need a lot of public support in the form of watch parties and partial funding. Stay tuned for more! Please also feel free to offer a donation earmarked just for Pipi.
Inclusive Playground
OFA has applied for a grant to help Onondaga Cave State Park install a large inclusive playground and adult fitness areas for people of all ages and abilities at the Cisitor Center on the Blue Heron Trail. OFA will need assistance raising matching funds for part of the project. Stay Tuned!
Bat House, Bird House Installations & Bat Gardens
OFA is working with the State Park to create an “Outdoor Classroom” along the Blue Heron Trail. Let us know if you are interested in attending a Bat House Installation Workshop!
Thank you for caring!
