REDMOND — A crew of volunteers worked beneath the ground in Redmond on Sunday to remove the mark of mankind from a complex of five caves formed by molten lava flowing from the Newberry Caldera.

The Redmond Caves, located just off SW Airport Way, are the result of a collapsed lava tube and sport a splattering of mostly nonsensical spray-painted tags throughout their passageways. Among the broken glass and occasional hypodermic needle, there was also a bright green University of Oregon “O” and, located a few feet away, a soon-to-be-erased painting of a panda. The handful of volunteers, members of Oregon High Desert Grotto, estimated they’d need more than just one day to finish the job.

“We found burnt underwear the last time we were out here cleaning,” said Neil Marchington, 33, who was leading the cleanup effort. “I guess you never know when you’ll need to burn some underwear.”

Marchington, a graduate of Redmond High School, said these caves were known as a place to come and make trouble when he was a student.

“Hopefully people will realize whatever they put up will get blasted down,” he said. “I hope they stop wasting their money in these caves and leave these spaces in pristine shape so the community can enjoy them. The paint isn’t only bad for the people using it, it’s also bad for the bats.”

It took Marchington eight minutes to sandblast off the year “2014” from a freshly applied “Nicole 2014” tag at the mouth of the cave. David Melhorn, 59, said he was disappointed by the treatment of the caves, but that he has seen far worse.

“For three years, I worked to clean up a cave in Missouri that was a hideout for the local Ku Klux Klan,” Melhorn said. “You couldn’t even write your name anywhere there was so much graffiti.”

Ginger Livingston-Sanders, 52, another volunteer, said she’s reluctant to list directions to caves on her photography website given the conditions she’s encountered.

“With these caves here, I have a love-hate relationship,” Livingston-Sanders said. “I love how accessible they are to the public, but that’s also the problem. You have great caves around here that sadly have had to be gated.”

To volunteer with Oregon High Desert Grotto, visit its website, ohdgrotto.caves.org.

— Reporter: 541-633-2160, tleeds@bendbulletin.com