CAVES AND KARST: UNDERSTANDING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE'S HIDDEN RESOURCES

On a national level within the National Park Service (NPS), basic knowledge of cave resources has increased significantly over the last 30 years. With karst resources, there have been some advances but knowledge of these very complex and hidden resources remain fairly limited. In recent years, NPS park managers have increasingly been working with volunteers and scientists to complete studies including the physical exploration and documentation of cave and karst areas to obtain a better understanding of the resources that they manage. Efforts at the national level within the National Cave and Karst Program are being made to know more about these resources, identify missing areas of information and to develop projects and seek funding for studies that can help the NPS better understand these complex resources. This understanding will lead to the long-term conservation and protection of resources through appropriate management decisions and actions and through continued education and outreach for staff and visitors.