CAVE AND KARST DATA MANAGEMENT IN THE SPATIAL WILD WEST

The development of the Cave and Karst Resource Inventory and Tracking database (CKRIT) for the National Park Service (NPS) involves evaluating cave data management systems used by various agencies and partners, including the US Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and The Cave Research Foundation (CRF). This examination provides insights into the current state of cave data management on public lands.

This presentation navigates cave data management within the regulatory framework of the Federal Cave Resource Protection Act (FCRPA) and the contemporary geospatial landscape, highlighting implications and obstacles for modern data and resource management strategies.

Furthermore, this work investigates the current regional management model and contrasts it with the benefits of a centralized data management structure. Despite FCRPA, stringent volunteer agreements, and memorandums of understanding, advancements in GPS and LiDAR technology are rendering cave location secrecy impractical for resource management purposes.

This presentation summarizes the current state of cave and karst data management and illustrates the necessity of a transition towards centralized management, in order to comply with FCRPA's requirement that all significant caves have associated management plans. This work also aims to optimize use tracking, impact assessments, and resource allocation efficiency and equity. This presentation will summarize two years of work in federal cave and karst data management, offering insights for advancing practices in the dynamic landscape of the Spatial Wild West.