CAVE AND KARST RESOURCE DOCUMENTATION IN THE DANIEL BOONE NATIONAL FOREST (Invited Presentation)

Located along the Cumberland escarpment of Eastern Kentucky, the Daniel Boone National Forest is home to over 1,000 diverse cave systems in a narrow band of Mississippian Limestone. To develop efficient land management strategies, it is critical to have a baseline of resource data. In 2022, we obtained a special use permit and initiated a research collaboration with the Forest Service to reestablish mapping and resource inventory efforts. Our primary aim is to highlight the numerous surface streams flowing off overlying sandstone and shale units forming classic allogenic stream caves as well as numerous caves that have been abandoned by modern streams. Resource inventories have documented the presence of cave-adapted species, paleontologic resources, speleothems, hydrology, and habitat for four endangered species of bats in 14 caves with an additional 65 cave entrance locations added to the existing cave entrance database.

Beyond providing baseline information, these data are foundational for mitigating impacts to karst resources. Using these data, coupled with dye traces, we have developed groundwater vulnerability modeling for some karst basins in the region. Through a combination of cave data and dye trace data, we have modified the COP karst groundwater vulnerability models with more specific flow path information. Using this modified model, we have been able to better highlight points of rapid groundwater recharge, which are the zones of highest vulnerability, with vulnerability decreasing away from these points. As data collection continues, these inventories will provide a broader understanding of spatial locations of sensitive resources and provide managers with necessary data to mitigate resource impacts.