A trio of interns is testing electric lights and lanterns this summer to see which shine best in Lava River Cave as part of a campaign to make one of the biggest draws to the Deschutes National Forest more environmentally friendly.

They’re trying to find a replacement for the propane lanterns that have long been available for rent to visitors of the milelong lava tube south of Bend, said Larry Berrin, branch director for Discover Your Northwest in Central Oregon. The nonprofit group runs the bookstore at Lava Lands Visitor Center and manages the lantern rentals at the nearby cave.

“We are looking to see if there is an alternative to propane,” he said.

The U.S. Forest Service is trying to use less electricity and make other environmental improvements around the Deschutes and Ochoco national forests, said Jennifer Letz, sustainable operations specialist for the forests.

Other efforts include:

• High-efficiency building design at the new Deschutes National Forest headquarters in Bend, which opened last fall, as well as in the planned new ranger district office in Crescent and new visitor center along the Cascade Lakes Highway.

• Plans to add electric vehicles.

• A more efficient lighting system at the Redmond Air Center, installed last year, as well as plans to make similar improvements at other buildings around the forest later this year.

Along with putting in more energy-efficient lights at close to 50 buildings around the two forests, Letz said toilets and shower heads will be replaced with ones that use less water.

“(We) look at what we can do — small to large interactions — to improve our sites, reducing our impacts on the environment,” said Deschutes National Forest spokeswoman Jean Nelson-Dean.

Such improvements include changing the lanterns at Lava River Cave, which Nelson-Dean said gets about 70,000 visitors per year.

The goal is to find electric light bright enough for visitors to use in exploring the cave and capable of being recharged by a small solar power system installed this May at Lava River Cave. Letz said Abney Solar Electrix of Redmond covered more than half the cost of the $10,300 solar unit as a donation, and a $5,000 grant covered the rest.

“The cave is an off-grid site,” Letz said. “There is no electricity to the site.”

Discover Your Northwest has about 60 propane lanterns, which use disposable fuel canisters, to rent. Given the popularity of the cave, spent canisters pile up regularly.

The cost to replace the lanterns will likely be between $3,000 to $5,000. Discover Your Northwest is taking donations to help support the campaign, said Berrin, the local leader for the group.

The interns, from Oregon State University-Cascades Campus, are evaluating about a dozen options, he said. The plan is to buy 60 to 70 electric lanterns once one is chosen. It’s hard to compete with the bright light of propane, though.

“So far, we are not finding any that are as powerful,” he said.

The interns will be polling visitors to see if they’d use them over the propane lanterns. Berrin said there is an “old-time” feel to using the propane lanterns in the cave that may add to their popularity.

“Sometimes we are all out and we have a waiting list,” he said.

Details

For more information on Discover Your Northwest, the nonprofit group that runs lantern rentals at Lava River Cave, and its programs, go to www.discovernw.org.