Kalabera Cave assessment nearly complete—Arriola

The environmental assessment of planned enhancements to the Kalabera Cave is 30 percent complete, according to Ed Arriola Jr., chairman of the Marianas Visitors Authority’s Destination Enhancement Committee.

The committee is planning to install an elevated walkway and lighting in a bid to establish the site as a tourist attraction. The Kalabera Cave closed this summer in order for Cabrera & Associates to conduct an assessment on the impact of the changes.

The walls of Kalabera Cave are adorned with ancient artwork likely painted by Saipan’s indigenous Chamorro people, giving the site a special significance to local cultural groups. During the Battle of Saipan, the cave also served as a field hospital for Japanese soldiers.

Kalabera’s slippery rocks and the darkness in some of its deeper reaches have prevented many tourists from visiting it.

The report will be submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior, and if they approve, the DOI will provide the $1.5 million to fund the project, Arriola said.