Cave "Optymistychna"- research and path finding

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Over 46 years of work in this cave Lviv speleological club "Cyclops" was developed new and unique method of research and path finding of the giant maze of caves "Optimistic." By the spring of 2012 in total were conducted 207 expeditions, opened on 18 areas, equipped with 16 camps and underground drawn map of more than 238 kilometres of the underground labyrinth. But this speleological club decided not to stop. Speleo club "Cyclops" in 2005, he began to develop the project "The smell of the sun", which set new ambitious goals.

"The smell of the sun" - one of the most ambitious projects of the Western region of Ukraine in the framework of conservation and scientific study of caves "Optimistic", which is among the longest gypsum caves in the world, recognized by the longest in Europe. Inventory in the World, "the longest and deepest" ranks second, behind only the limestone cave system, The Flint Mammoth cave system (Kentucky, USA).

The "Smell of the Sun" works in two main ways to achieve the following objectives:
1) Environmental Education;
2) Conservation, scientific research - in the Ternopil region, near the village of Korolivka, in the caves of "Optimistic" and directly to her.

Thematic work is carried out in the following areas:

Work in the cave, "Optimistic" be based on the operation of ground-base camp (ABC) to perform the following tasks:
1) research expedition:
- Search and explore new areas
- Surveying new areas of the cave
2) the working of the expedition:
- Improvement of existing Truest and increasing their permeability.
- Preservation of ecology of the cave "optimistic" with the protection of new areas of the cave through the construction of bypass Truest.

Work in the area of the cave "Optimistic" - carried on the surface, in the forest. Korolivka equipped with camping camps (summer), or (in winter) in the house, which is located in a. Korolivka:

- Monitoring the slopes at the entrance to the cave for the presence of landslides, erosion;
- To check the reliability of the system protect the entrance to the cave, "Optimistic" from unauthorized access inside the cave, which could be dangerous not only for the cave and its integrity, but also for the health and lives of people who can penetrate into the middle without the necessary training.

  Education and educational work:
- Preparation and formation of working groups to research and volunteer activities;