Cave and Karst News

06/05/2024

Scientist in Parks applications are open! All applications close on June 16, 2024. These positions start between October 2024 to March 2025. Many of these opportunities are related to caves and karst. Here are a few for you to check out:

Cave and Karst Assistant
Great Basin NP, Nevada
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 11/11/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/2c5cc7c382af-cave-and-karst-assistant

Cave and Karst Assistant
Jewel Cave NM, South Dakota
Duration: 26 weeks
Start Date: 10/7/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/de2b3734196f-cave-and-karst-assistant

Ecology Assistant
Inventory and Monitoring, California
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 2/3/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/e30106adadaf-ecology-assistant

Ecology Assistant
Northern Great Plains Network, SD
Duration: 52 weeks
Start: 10/28/2024
Weekly: $665.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/658f6f405be3-ecology-assistant

Education Assistant
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 1/27/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/3a4b15265845-education-assistant

Education Assistant
Grand Canyon, Arizona
Duration: 36 weeks
Start Date: 1/27/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/7ba1a24190f0-education-assistant

Education Assistant
Shenandoah NP, Virginia
Duration: 36 weeks
Start Date: 11/4/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/d0e246712ff0-education-assistant

GIS Assistant
Yosemite NP, California
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 1/5/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/b2780d30cc10-gis-assistant

GIS Assistant
Yosemite NP, California
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 1/5/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/993e7bb2c7ec-gis-assistant

GIS Assistant
Ozark NSR, Missouri
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 10/20/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/9189619a1060-gis-assistant

GIS Assistant
Yellowstone NP, Wyoming
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 10/7/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/21ef297481f0-gis-assistant

Geology Assistant
Alaska Region Office, Alaska
Duration: 52 weeks
Start Date: 11/03/2024
Weekly Stipend: $665.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/8e5c23cd1503-geology-assistant

Geology Assistant
Geologic Resources Division, Colorado
Duration: 52 weeks
Start Date: 10/7/2024
Weekly Stipend: $665.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/6ff84977d888-geology-assistant

Hydrology Assistant
Hot Springs NP, Arkansas
Duration: 26 weeks
Start Date: 11/4/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/71de93d71ffd-hydrology-assistant

Hydrology Assistant
Death Valley, California
Duration: 20 Weeks
Start Date: 11/03/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/cb3bc5ef19a0-hydrology-assistant

Hydrology Assistant
Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, Colorado
Duration: 52 weeks
Start Date: 10/7/2024
Weekly Stipend: $665.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/9edc3c987280-hydrology-assistant

Hydrology Assistant
Water Resources Division, Colorado
Duration: 52 weeks
Start Date: 10/6/2024
Weekly Stipend: $665.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/65afd4cbd5da-hydrology-assistant

Hydrology Assistant
Valles Caldera, New Mexico
Duration: 36 weeks
Start Date: 3/24/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/585891155db3-hydrology-assistant

Natural Resource Management Assistant
Coronado NM, Arizona
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 11/11/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/150f7fb90e2a-natural-resource-management-assistant

Natural Resource Management Assistant
Oregon Caves NM, Oregon
Duration: 12 weeks
Start Date: 3/31/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/f48194094202-natural-resource-management-assistant

Paleontology Assistant
Carlsbad Caverns NP, New Mexico
Duration: 52 weeks
Start Date: 12/30/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/857f22b499a7-paleontology-assistant

Paleontology Assistant
Carlsbad Caverns NP, New Mexico
Duration: 36 weeks
Start Date: 12/30/2024
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/7e5a85159fab-paleontology-assistant

Science Communication Assistant
National Resource Stewardship and Science, Colorado
Duration: 36 weeks
Start Date: 2/16/2025
Weekly Stipend: $665.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/608568844cc8-science-communication-assistant

Science Communication Assistant
Wind Cave NP, South Dakota
Duration: 20 weeks
Start Date: 1/6/2025
Weekly Stipend: $565.00
https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/29140519a69f-science-communication-assistant

Photo: SIP Ryan Palmer working on his speleothem inventory project at Carlsbad Caverns NP.

03/05/2024

Let’s celebrate caves!

Cave Week is a great chance to enjoy, celebrate and learn about our caves. All are invited to join in this fantastic celebration of the underground world.

📆 Mark your calendars! Cave Week will be celebrated on June 2-8.

Photo: Cave Week logo

26/04/2024

26/04/2024

Radar footage of the bats streaming back into Bracken Cave.

26/04/2024

Unless otherwise noted, all courses are based out of Hamilton Valley Field Station, located on the border of Mammoth Cave National Park near Bowling Green, Kentucky. See Logistics page for more information.

26/04/2024

26/04/2024

The 2022-2023 KSS Annual Report has been emailed to our members. We're excited to highlight the amazing work of cavers throughout the Commonwealth!

If you did not received a copy please reach out to Sean at [email protected]

26/04/2024

Beginning in May, the park will offer cave tours of Gap Cave on Friday through Monday at 10 am. On these tours, you will learn about the history of the cave, see cave formations such as stalagmites and stalactites, and learn all about what animals live in the cave, including bats. You can reserve a tour a month in advance and space is limited to 20 people. Tours last two hours and cost:
Adults - $8.00
Interagency Senior Pass - $4.00
Interagency Access Pass - $4.00
Children ages five through twelve - $4.00

The park also offers other programing, including talks at the Iron Furnace on Fridays at 2 pm, and tours of the gap on Saturday at 2 pm. Hensley Settlement tours begin on Saturday May 18 and will be offered on the last two weekends of May.
Hensley tours are form 10 am to 2:30 and cost:
Adults - $10.00
Interagency Senior Pass - $5.00
Interagency Access Pass - $5.00
Children ages twelve and under - $5.00

If interested in any of these programs call the park visitor center at 606-248-2817.

26/04/2024

18/04/2024

Let’s dive deep into the depths of groundwater for

Groundwater is a vital source of drinking water in the United States in which karst aquifers (CKWOTW: 12/20/2023) provide around 40% of the total amount (https://www.usgs.gov/publications/depth-groundwater-used-drinking-water-supplies-united-states). There is more water in groundwater than there is in all of the lakes and rivers on our planet combined! Groundwater is also home to many species that live in underground environments, known as stygofauna (CKWOTW: 12/13/2023). These are some of the many reasons why it is important to keep groundwater systems clean and healthy.

Groundwater starts out as rainwater that infiltrates through soil and rock pores and eventually reaches a water saturated zone, also known as the vadose zone (CKWOTW: 4/5/2023). This zone is where the rock and sediment pores are filled with water. Groundwater is stored in and moves slowly through aquifers. Monitoring groundwater levels, promoting water conservation practices, and implementing regulations help ensure their availability for future generations.

Where does your water come from?

Image credit: NCKRI Staff, Raquel Lugo

18/04/2024

Soar to new heights with fun facts for International Bat Appreciation Day:

🦇 47 bat species in North America

🦇 1,400 bat species worldwide

🦇 1 in 5 mammal species are bats

🦇 Each night, they eat their body weight in insects

Learn more about the heroes of the night: https://www.doi.gov/blog/13-facts-about-bats

Photo by Kristen Lalumiere / NPS

17/04/2024

Happy Bat Appreciation Day! 🦇

06/04/2024

NCKRI Announces New Director Cave and Karst News Special Edition: National Cave and Karst Research Institute Announces the Appointment of a New Director Dr. Benjamin Tobin will begin duties in July 20

27/03/2024

This week’s is cave survey!

Surveying a landscape is the process of quantifying the area in order to produce a descriptive layout of the land. A cave survey is an essential component to research, conservation and exploration of a cave. They are useful in indicating if and how a cave has changed over time and are often done alongside the discoveries of new cave passages.

Cave surveyors work in teams to collect data points out of defined stations (point A to point B) which serve as reference along the cave. A lot of information can be obtained from cave surveys, which depends on the trip’s mission. The “back bone” of the collected information is a line plot of the cave created using designated station, distance, the vertical and horizontal angles between the two stations. Other information that can be collected during a cave survey is the overall dimension of the passage, temperature, humidity, air speed, biological inventory, and much more.

When surveying, workflow and efficiency is very important and makes the trip more enjoyable. There are several roles that are needed for a cave survey.The main roles include sketching, instrument reading, determining a suitable station (station setter) and inventory (collecting data about the resource). Some roles are duplicated to help assist with finding errors. Most survey teams are 3-5 people who usually take on at least one if not more of the described roles.

To learn more about cave surveying contact your local grotto (caving club) or sign up for a class!

Where did you learn how to survey caves?

Photo credit: NCKRI staff; Devra Heyer

19/03/2024

19/03/2024

The biennial NCKMS is the preeminent conference for promoting and sharing concepts in the effective management of cave and karst resources. Our symposium is a gathering of inquisitive minds and passionate experts who share a common ethic for the responsible management of these rare environments.

15/03/2024

Calling all teachers! Let's get that trip planned before it's too late!

15/03/2024

American Conservation Experience (ACE) is hiring 2 Bat Education Interns to work at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park! These 2 positions will lead Gap Cave tours, educate the public about bat conservation, and assist with interpretive programs about bats. The positions will start in late April and will last 6-7 months. Park housing may be available.

For more information and to apply, go to https://usaconservation.applicantpool.com/jobs/1081565

Image of 2023 Bat Education Intern Rachel Teeter conducting a cave tour in Gap Cave. NPS photo.

13/03/2024

The proposed schedule for KOR June 20-23, 2024 😍

13/03/2024

28/02/2024

28/02/2024

Have you walked across the world’s longest underground swinging bridge? Make plans to visit us so you can mark it off your bucket list!

Photo courtesy of Hart County Tourism

28/02/2024

For today’s we are going to talk about a starry flower looking fossil called crinoids!

The word crinoid is derived from the Greek word “krinon” which means lily. This fossil, also known as sea lilies because of their flower appearance, are echinoderms that are related to starfish and sea urchin. There are present day living crinoids in modern oceans but they’re relatively uncommon. Crinoids first appeared in the Cambrian period and they’re great for giving clues on how the rock was formed. Fossil crinoids indicate rocks formed in a shallow marine environment.

A crinoid is composed of a stem that has numerous stacked columns, like small coins. Stems and individual columns are the most commonly encountered crinoid fossils in the field.

Have you had the pleasure of encountering this fossil?

Photo credit: NCKRI staff; Raquel Lugo