CAVE CONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT SPECIAL SESSION FOR AGENCIES AND CAVERS
Presented by Cynthia Sandeno, Jim C. Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker, and Dianne Gillespie
U.S. Forest Service, 200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, WV 26241; National Speleological Society Conservation Division Chiefs, Hillsboro NM 88042-0207; National Cave and Karst Research Institute, Carlsbad, NM
Agency personnel may be given the responsibility of managing cave and karst resources with little background or training. While they often depend on volunteer cavers to help with this role, there is a need to facilitate the sharing of resources and knowledge. The U.S. Forest Service, NSS Conservation Division, and National Cave and Karst Research Institute, have designed a special session event to explain, explore, and identify the unique challenges of protecting, restoring, conserving, and interpreting cave and karst resources.
Topics covered will focus on:
- Essentials of cave and karst resources management
- Federal cave laws
- Cave inventories and monitoring
- Developing cave management plans
- Cave conservation
- Restoration techniques
- Developing partnerships and agreements
- Other useful tools
This special session will promote collaboration among state and federal cave and karst specialists, private preserve managers, and cavers. Participants in this workshop will be given the basic knowledge to carry out cave conservation and management tasks and the resources to develop meaningful partnerships and agreements to create management strategies for the caves that they manage.
Special Session Schedule:
Tuesday
8:30 Introduction/Cave and Karst Resources Overview — Cindy Sandeno, Val Hildreth-Werker
Cave systems harbor a surprising variety of natural and cultural resources.
9:00 Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 — Jim Goodbar
This important piece of legislation outlines the framework for managing caves on federal lands.
9:30 Significant Cave Designation Process — Cindy Sandeno
Learn to identify and evaluate the significance of natural, cultural, and social values of various cave and karst systems.
10:00 Break
10:15 Cave Management — Dale Pate
Tools such as gates, cave permits, decontamination, research permits, and outreach/education opportunities can be important to protect caves and their resources.
11:00 Cave Conservation and Restoration — Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker
Field-proven techniques for cave restoration, speleothem repair, and low-impact conservation ethics.
12:00 Lunch On Site with Special Presentation — LINKING CAVE EXPLORATION AND DOCUMENTATION TO CONSERVATION AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN LAOS — Terry Bolger
1:00 Cave Management Plans — Jim Goodbar
Learn to develop and implement specific strategies to protect, conserve, and restore cave and karst resources, in accordance with appropriate laws, policy, regulations and best management practices.
1:30 Inventory and Monitoring — Johanna Kovarik
Cave inventory and monitoring are necessary tools for resource managers.
2:00 INCORPORATING PHOTOS AND SURVEYS INTO A CAVE AND KARST GIS FOR TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST, SOUTHEAST ALASKA — Erin Lynch, Johanna Kovarik
2:30 TEMPERATURE DATALOGGERS REVEAL PATTERNS IN GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK CAVES — Gretchen M. Baker
3:00 Break
3:15 RESTORATION OF LOWER PASSAGE AT TIMPANOGOS CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT — Andy Armstrong
3:45 CANDLELIGHT CAVE: FOR SALE ON EBAY — Cami McKinney
4:15 Walk to Surveying and Mapping Salon
4:30 Surveying and Mapping Presentation and Salon — Colorado Cave Survey, Derek Bristol
Description of cave survey and cartographic processes.
Wednesday
9:00 Photo Inventory, Photo Documentation, Photomonitoring — Val Hildreth-Werker
Know the essential components and various applications for these common photographic tasks.
9:30 Education Resources: Project Underground Intro — Carol Zokaites
An educational program to create and build responsible attitudes toward caves and karst systems.
10:00 Cave and Karst Outreach: How to do your own PR — Dianne Gillespie
Cave managers need tools to tell their stories.
10:30 Partnerships & Agreements – Collaboration among cave and karst specialists and volunteers are vital for effective inventory, monitoring, and management of caves and systems.
11:00 CAVE RESCUE PRE-PLANNING AT WIND AND JEWEL CAVES, SOUTH DAKOTA — Marc Ohms, Rene Ohms, Anmar Mirza, John Punches
11:20 CAVE RESCUE PACKS IN WIND AND JEWEL CAVES, SOUTH DAKOTA — Marc Ohms, Rene Ohms
11:40 CURRENT CAVE MANAGEMENT PROJECTS AT JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT, SOUTH DAKOTA — Rene Ohms, Mike Wiles
12:00 Session Wrap-up and Forest Service Database Presentation