TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Director’s Report ...... 1

Headquarters Construction ...... 2

NCKRI Projects ...... 4 Anthropogenic Sinkholes ...... 4 Fort Stanton Cave ...... 5 Carbonate Pool Precipitates ...... 7 Naica Mine Cave ...... 8 Met Pro Corporation ...... 8 Desert Varnish ...... 8 Imagery Data Extraction ...... 8 Karst Information Portal ...... 9 Hypogene Karst ...... 10 Hypogene Karst Studies in Texas ...... 10 NASA Spaceward Bound Teacher Training ...... 11

Student Activities ...... 12 Student Projects ...... 12 Student Awards ...... 13 Student Presentations ...... 13 Student Publications ...... 13 Outreach ...... 14 Board Activities ...... 15 Board of Directors ...... 16 NCKRI Staff ...... 18 Staff Publications ...... 20 Organizational Structure ...... 22 2008-2009 Budget ...... 23

Strategic Plans ...... 24

Cover Photo Manjang Cave, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. This 13.4-km-long lava tube is the longest in Korea and part of the Jeju Island World Heritage Site. NCKRI is studying volcanic caves around the world as likely analogs for extraterrestrial caves and poten- tial sites of microbial life. Inside Cover Photo “Bacon” is one of many varieties of mineral deposits that occur in caves. This beautiful example is from Cave Without A Name, a show cave in Texas. In addition to their aesthetic qualities, these deposits often hold key information useful to interpreting the origin of a cave or the paleoclimatic and environmental conditions of a region. NCKRI conducts and supports careful scientific research of cave minerals. Back Cover Photo One of many entrances into the Candalaria Cave System in Guatemala. Like many caves in the Maya area, this cave contains important archeological materials. NCKRI sees cave archeology is an important but poorly supported field of study, and plans to develop programs to bolster such research in the US and abroad.

Photos by George Veni.

2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

July 2008 through June 2009 will prove to be a pivotal year in the his- tory of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI). Congress created NCKRI to conduct, support, facilitate, and promote programs in cave and karst research, education, environmental management, and data acquisi- tion and sharing. NCKRI’s efforts in these areas were limited due to three main issues, all of which were resolved or alleviated this year: headquarters construction, funding, and staff. This annual report covers NCKRI’s diverse array of projects and activities during the last 12 months, but below are de- tails on these three items and a look toward the future. Headquarters Construction: Groundbreaking for the construction for NCKRI Headquarters officially occurred on November 24, 2008. To fully meet its congressional mandates, NCKRI needs a specially designed build- ing to conduct its programs. The 17,315 ft2 building will contain a bookstore, museum/exhibit hall, classrooms, laboratory, library, offices, and meeting space. NCKRI Headquarters will also be highly energy efficient and have innovative design features, some of which will serve nationally as models for green building techniques that can be used in karst areas to prevent or minimize adverse environmental impacts. Funding: The legislation creating NCKRI in 1998 contained one well- intentioned clause, that all federal funds must be matched by non-federal funds, but it caused unforeseen problems. Throughout NCKRI’s history, federal agencies and federally-funded organizations have had the greatest interest in working with NCKRI, but non-federal matches either didn’t exist or could not be located in the available time. On March 30, 2009, President Barack Obama signed a bill that removed the matching funds requirement. The bill was written and sponsored by New Mexico Senator Jeff Bingaman. NCKRI is now able to compete fairly for construction, research, education, and other federal funds on a level playing field with other organizations. Staff: NCKRI currently has few employees and any addition is impor- tant, but few will be as vital as the Education Director who was hired nearly at the end of this reporting year on June 22, 2009. Education is much more than teaching kids from grades K-12. Dianne Gillespie will develop a com- prehensive outreach program that nationally and later internationally will encompass all ages and demographics through NCKRI’s website, museum, bookstore, and a traveling series of lectures, workshops, and meetings. She will begin her tenure with a nationwide tour of cave, karst, science, and envi- ronmental science museums, research institutes, and university programs to develop ideas from which to build NCKRI’s education program and museum while establishing partnerships to enhance cave and karst education in the US and abroad. Clearly, NCKRI has a lot of work ahead to meet its ambitious goals. This year’s accomplishments were important steps toward meeting them. However, the key to NCKRI’s success lies with the continued and unflag- ging support of its many friends and partners. I thank them all.

George Veni, Ph.D.

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 1

NCKRI HEADQUARTERS CONSTRUCTION

On Monday, November 24, 2008, NCKRI broke ground for its head- quarters building in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Several state and local offi- cials and over 90 other guests at- tended from throughout the region. The building’s exterior and part of the interior will be complete by No- vember 2009. Construction was started to prevent inflation of most of the building’s costs while NCKRI and its partners seek funds to complete the remaining portions of the interior. L to R: Hazel Medville, NCKRI Board President; Dr. Daniel Lopez, New Mexico Tech President; New Mexico State Representative John Heaton; Carlsbad Mayor Bob Forrest; Carol McCoy, National Park Service Representative to NCKRI Board; Lynn Ditto, Representative for US. Senator Jeff Bingaman; Dr. George Veni, NCKRI Executive Director.

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NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 3

NCKRI PROJECTS

Anthropogenic Sinkholes in the Delaware Basin Region of West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico Sinkholes within gypsum bed- rock in the Delaware Basin of west Texas and southeastern New Mexico are seldom of human origin, but those few are highly significant. These an- thropogenic sinkholes are often asso- ciated with improperly cased aban- doned oil wells or solution mining of salt beds below the gypsum. On July 16th, 2008 a sinkhole formed abruptly at the site of a brine well in Eddy County, New Mexico, about 17 km southwest of the small community of Loco Hills (see photo to the right). The well operator was injecting fresh water into salt beds of the Per- mian Salado Formation and pumping out the resulting brine for use as oil Photo by George Veni field drilling fluid. Borehole problems Jim’s Water Service Well Sinkhole on July 20, 2008, four days after the initial collapse. had prevented the operator from con- ducting required downhole sonar sur- surface void space. The resulting Service Well Sinkhole, formed in just veys to assess the dimensions of sub- sinkhole, referred to as Jim’s Water a few hours by catastrophic collapse of overlying mudstone and gypsum, and in less than one month reached a diameter of 111 m and a depth of ~64 m (see photo to the left). Luckily, a seismograph had been deployed 13.9 km southeast of the brine well a few months earlier, and collapse in the subsurface was captured on the seis- mograph record a few hours before the cavity breached the surface (see top of next page). This may be the first documented seismologic record of catastrophic sinkhole formation. On November 3, 2008, a new sinkhole, Loco Hills Sinkhole , formed within the city limits of Loco Hills, ~17 km northeast of Jim’s Wa- ter Service Well Sinkhole. Loco Hills Sinkhole was also associated with a brine well that was shut in three months earlier after it failed a me- chanical integrity test, part of a state- wide review ordered by the New Photo by Lewis Land Mexico Oil Conservation Division Jim’s Water Service Sinkhole, July 28, 2008, after sides began to slump and water (NMOCD) of regulations covering all drained back into the subsurface.

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Seismograph TA126-A 3-day record of vertical ground velocity, located 13.9 km southeast of Jim’s Water Well Service Sinkhole, shows more than 6 hours of ground motion from subsurface collapse of the brine well cavity. Time of surface breaching (8:15am) is indicated by the vertical red line. brine wells across the state after the described as perhaps the longest cave part of the team as mineralogist and first sinkhole collapsed. deposit on earth (see photo below). manager of the Electron Microscope A spokesperson for NMOCD In June 2008, the U.S. Bureau of and Electron Microprobe laboratories. noted that of New Mexico’s 34 brine Land Management (BLM) awarded NCKRI board member Dr. Diana well facilities, two have collapsed for funds to New Mexico Tech (NMT) Northup is the UNM team’s microbi- a failure rate of 6%. However, if only for a scientific assessment of Snowy ologist, conducting molecular phy- shallow brine wells are considered, River. The first year of concentrated logenetic studies of native microor- with depth to the bottom of casing research has focused on further age- ganisms and also heads the microbial less than 150 m (500 ft), there are dating of cores from the deposit, ex- human impact study, and Dr. Victor only five such facilities, of which two tensive mineralogical analysis, analy- Polyak is conducting the dating analy- have collapsed, for a failure rate of sis of native geo-microbial popula- ses. Dr. Paula Provencio, Sandia 40%. One of the remaining three tions, and beginning a human- Labs, is working on transmission wells is within Carlsbad city limits; associated microbial impact study. electron microscopy of cave samples. its owners voluntarily abandoned op- The team consists of Dr. Penny This comprehensive, integrated erations soon after the collapse of Boston (NCKRI and NMT) as project five-year study of Fort Stanton Cave Jim’s Water Service Well Sinkhole. director, Dr. Lewis Land (NCKRI and hopes to produce a broad picture of Anthropogenic sinkholes are a New Mexico Bureau of Geology and the history and development of this serious problem in the oil fields of Mineral Resources) as hydrologist, unique system. This BLM land was southeastern New Mexico and west and Dr. John Wilson (NMT) who will designated by Congress as the first Texas. The National Cave and Karst be conducting micrometeorological subsurface national conservation area, Research Institute has been actively studies. Dr. Michael Spilde heads the and signed into law by President involved in observing and reporting University of New Mexico (UNM) Obama in March 2009. recent sinkhole phenomena in coop- eration with NMOCD and the State Land Office. Three NCKRI-authored papers have been published on the subject. We anticipate expanding our investigations of anthropogenic karst features in the next fiscal year with targeted geophysical surveys and sat- ellite data.

Fort Stanton Cave For the past six years Dr. Lewis Land has participated in investiga- tions of the geology and hydrology of the Snowy River Formation in Fort Stanton Cave (FSC) in the northern Sacramento Mountains of New Mex- ico. The Snowy River Formation is a cave pool deposit that extends for more than 7 km in a passage discov- Photo by John R. Cochran ered in FSC in 2001, and has been Snowy River pool deposit in Fort Stanton Cave. View to south (upstream).

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 5 Hydrologic Observations The Snowy River passage peri- odically floods during the southwest- ern monsoon season in late summer and early fall. To develop a better understanding of the hydrology of the cave, in August 2008 a data logger was deployed at Mud Turtle Junction in the Snowy River passage. The data logger made hourly recordings of water levels and water temperature in the flooded Snowy River passage over a nine-month period (see graph to the right). The record shows a gradual decline in water levels in the passage from 34 to 27 cm between August 8 and December 25, 2008. Then, in the one-week period between December 25 and January 1, 2009, water levels declined to zero and re- mained there for the duration of the Data logger record showing water level variation at Mud Turtle Junction in the Snowy period of record. River passage of Fort Stanton Cave. The three-day period of zero water level in mid- The origin of water flow in the October probably represents an instrument malfunction. Snowy River passage has been the subject of considerable speculation tions, it appears increasingly likely Radiometric Dating of Cores since it was first observed in 2007. that water flow and spring discharge In 2008, we collected nine cores The presence of water may be an an- in the Snowy River passage repre- along an 884 m, south-north transect nual event, occurring shortly after the sents one component of a larger kar- from the Snowy River pool deposit start of the mid-year monsoon season. stic aquifer system in the upper Rio using a hand-held electric drill fitted Two types of potential sources for the Hondo Basin. Hydrologic studies will with a water-cooled diamond bit. The water include: (1) diffuse flow into continue next year, with deployment cores are all 2.5 cm in diameter and the passage associated with a rising of additional dataloggers and ex- range in length from 3.2 to 9 cm (see water table, and (2) a point source of panded investigations of the hydrol- photo below). All but one of the cores recharge via an upgradient sinkhole or ogy and paleohydrology of the cave. penetrated the entire Snowy River losing stream. The sudden disappear- ance of water in the Snowy River passage during the last week of 2008 South North is more consistent with the latter hy- pothesis, since it seems unlikely that evaporation or the slow percolation of water into underlying sediment would occur so rapidly. Rather, the record would suggest that the water supply had been abruptly “turned off.” The broader implication of this hypothesis is the existence of a potential second entrance into the Snowy River section of Fort Stanton Cave, presumably somewhere farther to the south. Whether this possible second entrance would be enterable by humans can only be determined by further study and exploration. A number of questions remain regarding the hydrologic setting of Fort Stanton Cave. However, given Photo by Lewis Land the present data and field observa- Core samples from Snowy River Formation, south-north transect.

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Formation. All of the cores display significant contributions to the identi- inhabits the highly variable environ- fine, sub-millimeter-scale lamination, fication of biosignatures in carbonate ments of caves is a major natural evidently the result of discrete epi- deposits. They are revealing microbial treasure about which little is known. sodes of calcite deposition during morphologies and other biosignatures Federal agencies in the United States times when the passage was flooded. present in secondary carbonate cave and other entities across the world are Wet and dry episodes in the cave pas- pool precipitates such as pool fingers, charged with protecting many of these sage should reflect alternating periods pendant forms that hang from cave important subterranean wilderness of abundant rainfall and drought in walls and shelfstone in paleo- and areas on the basis of very incomplete the northern Sacramento Mountains. modern pools. Preliminary scanning knowledge of their properties, espe- The cores thus have excellent poten- electron microscopy (SEM) shows cially biology. Further, an estimated tial for providing a record of the pa- microbial morphologies, such as the 25-30% of the world’s population leoclimatology and paleohydrology of reticulated filaments, that appear to be derives its water supply from karst the area. The basal layers of six of the consistently found in these pool pre- aquifers in which caves play a major cores were dated with U-Th tech- cipitates (see example in the photo role. The geochemistry and microbi- niques, yielding ages from 687 to below. ology of the phreatic (below the water 1,335 years BP, indicating an abrupt Pool descriptions from fieldwork table) and vadose (above the water change in climatic or hydrochemical identify pool characteristics associ- table) zones is of paramount impor- conditions within the past millen- ated with the occurrence of more bio- tance to understanding and managing nium. We anticipate collecting and genic forms of pool precipitates. Shal- groundwater resources. The role of dating additional cores, and develop- low pools with still water are seen as the subsurface as the recipient of or- ing a detailed record of the stable more likely to have biothems and ganic nutrients that originate on the isotope composition of the Snowy deeper pools, if they have biothems, surface and its role in recycling those River deposit. usually have them in their upper 20- materials back to surface watersheds 30 cm suggesting biogenic structures through aquifers is complex and Carbonate Pool Precipitates form in shallow pool conditions. By poorly understood. This ongoing project, supported associating SEM results with pool This project will help shed light by the National Science Foundation, morphologies, we can help guide on these processes and is the first and led by NCKRI geomicrobiologist studies for detecting life on other study of the microbial community Dr. Penelope Boston, Dr. Leslie planets. associated with cave pools in arid Melim (Western Illinois University), The subsurface biodiversity that environments using culture- and NCKRI board member Dr. Diana Northup (University of New Mexico), studies the role of microbiological and geological processes in the crea- tion of unique carbonate pool precipi- tates. Microbially-mediated carbonate precipitation is globally significant. It can provide a mechanism for under- standing and potentially manipulating carbon sequestration for enhanced removal of climate-warming carbon from the atmosphere. Caves in arid lands, as semi- closed systems stripped of the influ- ence of surface weathering, provide a particularly valuable window into the world of carbonate-precipitating mi- croorganisms. Carbon moves from the surface to the subsurface, where it is preserved in carbonate precipitates. These precipitates, many of which are biogenic, record microbial influences, surface climate, and ecosystem changes. These investigations are identify- Photo by Michael Spilde, Diana Northup, and Leslie Melim ing a suite of biosignatures for car- Scanning electron microscope image of possible meringue-style pool precipitate from bonate precipitates and are making Carlsbad Cavern, New Mexico, at 4,300x magnification.

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

2009 ANNUAL REPORT 7 independent techniques. The results Bologna, provided vital collaboration The project is funded by the Na- from this year’s studies show a di- with their ice suits (see photo in the tional Science Foundation on several verse community of at least eight bac- lower left corner) and valuable scien- consecutive grants. Cave study sites terial phyla, with a preponderance of tific contributions. include Lechuguilla Cave and Spider Proteobacteria. Because of the depth Laboratory analysis of the fluid Cave in New Mexico, and Jewel Cave of these pools below the land surface and solid inclusions continues at New in South Dakota. Desert varnish study (~250 m) and their accessibility, these Mexico Tech. Excitingly, 30 different sites are in California, Colorado, New results will be of interest to those cultures have been obtained from the Mexico, Utah, and the Atacama De- working in other subsurface aquatic crystal samples. These samples con- sert, Chile. environments. tinue to grow slowly and are antici- pated to produce enough material to Imagery Data Extraction Naica Mine Cave begin analyses next year. Collaborative A National Geographic docu- This documentary is the most Scientific fields of study such as mentary film, Giant Crystal Cave, watched National Geographic educa- microbiology, astrobiology, and cave began airing in October 2008. This tional special to date. A different and karst sciences contain large col- documentary focuses on the work of documentary, based on additional lections of images and associated Dr. Penelope Boston, her PhD student footage, was produced and broadcast biological, physiochemical and geo- Laura Rosales-Lagarde, and other by NHK of Japan in Spring 2009. logical datasets. The vast majority of colleagues, in Cueva de los Cristales, Translations of this second special these images are never shared nor the amazing and geothermally active have appeared in a number of Euro- examined by more than a handful of cave in the Naica mine of Chihuahua, pean markets. scientists. As interdisciplinary studies Mexico. Nests of up to 5-m long crys- grow more common, the ability for tals crowding limestone cave rooms, Met Pro Corporation – Cave scientists, students, teachers and inter- crystalline iron oxide wall deposits, Microorganism Metabolic ested citizens to collectively examine, and a working temperature of 60°C, Capabilities analyze and annotate these images combined to make a unique and haz- In a pilot effort, and in consulta- and data will grow in importance. In ardous working environment. Italy’s tion with National Park Service solici- order to allow access to images and La Venta Caving Group and Dr. tors, we have undertaken a screening associated data, our team has created Paolo Forti from the University of program for microbial capabilities IDEC: Imagery Data Extraction Col- possibly possessed by some of our laborative (http://idec.aisti.org). cave isolates and which interest our The team consists of NCKRI project sponsor, Met-Pro Corporation. board member Diana Northup, Jessica Phase I provided an ideal proof-of- Snider, Johann van Reenen, Christy concept study for testing the new Crowley, Brian Freels-Stendel, and methods in place, enabling commer- Jennifer Hathaway from the Univer- cial utilization of natural biological sity of New Mexico (UNM), Lynn resources present in our federal lands. Collins, Mark Martinez, and James Negotiations for Phase II are under- Powell from Los Alamos National way. Laboratory, and M. Alex Baker from the private sector. Iron-Manganese Deposits in IDEC consists of an integration Caves and Desert Varnish of three open-source tools: Drupal, This eight-year project studies Gallery, and UNM DSpace. Drupal is the relationship between the types of an open-source content management metal-using microorganisms in a vari- system that has been rated best-in- ety of caves and those that appear to class by the IBM Internet Technolo- contribute to surface rock coatings gies group. Gallery is an open-source called “desert varnish.” It is con- image management system that can ducted by NCKRI’s Dr. Penelope be integrated directly into Drupal. Boston at New Mexico Tech in col- UNM DSpace is an open-source digi- laboration with NCKRI board mem- tal object repository platform (https:// ber and microbiologist Dr. Diana repository.unm.edu/UNM/DSpace/ Photo by and modeled by Penelope Boston Ice-packed suits and helmets, with refriger- Northup and mineralogist Dr. Michael handle/1928/526) at UNM that houses ated breathing air, allowed scientists to Spilde, both from the University of the repository of available scanning work for intervals of about 15-55 minutes in New Mexico, and other colleagues electron microscopy images. A com- Cueva de los Cristales in Mexico’s Naica including many students from both menting function has been imple- Mine. institutions. mented in UNM DSpace to allow

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viewers to provide their insights from cles and government reports are dis- cal reports, theses, dissertations, im- viewing the images. All three tools are played in the Feed Aggregator as well ages, site and feature descriptions, and relatively easy to install and configure, as links to other portal websites, allow- videos. The Karst Information Portal and are widely used globally. ing users to get the latest information on (KIP) is a solution to these research The team is using this configura- microscopy, geology, microbiology, problems. KIP developed as an interna- tion as a base for developing their astrobiology, speleology and geomicro- tional partnership between NCKRI, the broader collaborative workspaces for biology. University of South Florida, the Uni- knowledge discovery with weblogs, The team believes that this type of versity of New Mexico, and the Union forums, feeds, and image functionality easy to use, virtual, collaborative re- Internationale de Spéléologie to solve enabled. Registered users of IDEC can search e-workspace will help answer information access and management scroll through photo albums of scanning questions with important implications in problems through an Internet gateway electron microscope images designed the study of caves, key features of karst to karst data and services. around a central theme or question and terrains, and for the detection of life on Like other well-known portals, KIP can add their own conclusions or in- other planets (astrobiology). The initial has grown as users and partners add sights for each image. Users can partici- albums focus on the geomicrobiology databases, maps, gray literature, reports, pate in forums or blogs discussing top- of caves and karst. and other information. Currently, over ics such as current trends and questions 5,000 resource items reside in the col- in that area of science, and interesting Karst Information Portal lection. KIP does not duplicate existing discoveries and debates about interpre- Data access, cataloguing, and databases but serves to more efficiently tations of the data. Selected image gal- evaluation challenge the progress of access and process them. KIP has the leries covering microbiology, micros- cave and karst research, education, and potential to transform cave and karst copy and cave sciences are used to cre- management. Crucial information is studies by creating new knowledge ate lessons for high school and college scattered throughout the mainstream through the integration of international level students. Finally, all recent rele- journals and buried in gray literature, information. Use of and interest in KIP vant scientific articles, newspaper arti- which includes maps, databases, techni- have grown in the past year.

Example page of the DSpace karst and cave scanning electron microscopy image gallery with some annotated data.

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 9 Hypogene Karst In October 2008, Dr. Lewis Land attended the Geological Society of America Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas, and co-chaired a topical ses- sion entitled “Hypogenic karst: Shed- ding light on once poorly understood hydrologic and morphologic features” with Geary Schindel, NCKRI board member from the Edwards Aquifer Authority. Fifteen speakers gave pres- entations, including three invited speakers: Drs. Alexander Klimchouk (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine); Calvin Alexander (University of Minnesota); and Kevin Stafford (Stephen F. Austin Univer- sity). Most of the authors subse- quently submitted papers based on their presentations for publication in the NCKRI Symposium 1: Advances in Hypogene Karst Studies, edited by Drs. Kevin Stafford, Lewis Land and Photo by George Veni Hypogenic maze passages crossing at different levels in Robber Baron Cave, Texas. George Veni; Dr. Stafford is a recent former scholar of NCKRI’s academic program. Hypogene Karst Studies in below the Austin Chalk and long con- This book expands on the grow- Texas sidered hydrologically separated by impermeable units, provides the only ing understanding of hypogenic karst The Texas-based paper in Ad- source of water that could create the systems with papers focused on ex- vances in Hypogene Karst Studies is a conditions necessary to form Robber amples in four countries and five US new NCKRI-sponsored study con- Baron Cave. Hypogenic flow is cur- states. It also marks the first in a new ducted by Executive Director Dr. rently observed where Edwards water NCKRI publication series. George Veni and Lynn Heizler of the rises along faults through the Austin Three of the volume’s papers on New Mexico Bureau of Geology and and flows from the nearby San Anto- New Mexico, central Texas, and west Mineral Resources. nio and San Pedro Park Springs. An- Texas were authored or co-authored The Edwards Aquifer is an inter- ecdotal reports from the early 20th by NCKRI’s Drs. Land and Veni. national well known karst aquifer century describe pools and flowing formed within the Edwards Lime- streams in sections of Robber Baron stone in the Balcones Fault Zone. Cave that are no longer accessible, Caves and karst features in its re- where the water could have similarly charge zone are epigenic, formed by risen from the Edwards along other water descending into the aquifer. faults. However, the down-faulted sections The Edwards Aquifer enlarged are artesian, with hypogenic features eastward by stream incision along the formed by water rising from the aqui- Balcones Fault Zone, exposing down- fer. faulted permeable units to allow Robber Baron Cave is formed groundwater discharge from lower within the Upper Cretaceous Austin elevation locations. Stream incision Chalk in northern San Antonio. The rates indicate that the hypogenic con- cave exhibits features that demon- ditions necessary to form Robber strate a hypogenic origin, including a Baron Cave occurred 2.0 to 2.5 mil- 1.51-km-long network maze pattern, lion years ago, and thus set a mini- fissure-floored passages, passage ceil- mum age for when the Bexar County ings laterally enlarged adjacent to a area was added to the aquifer. contact with an upper confining unit, The presence of Robber Baron and sediments produced by the disso- National Cave and Karst Research Insti- and other hypogenic caves and arte- lution of the host rock. tute Symposium 1: Advances in Hypogene sian springs in the Austin Chalk dem- Karst Studies. The Edwards Aquifer, which is

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onstrate areas of significant localized Desert trip served 25 student teachers cal signatures in samples collected upward flow into the Austin and from and Spaceward Bound alumni and during planetary missions to Mars, the paleo land surface. Veni and approximately 20 scientists. The Aus- icy moons, or asteroids. Testing of the Heizler suggest that identification of tralia expedition served 15 teachers instrument is anticipated in late these areas is important for establish- and 12 scientists from all over Austra- Spring 2010. ing areas of more stringent land use lia and the United States. Future expe- Work continues on mathematical regulations to prevent aquifer degra- ditions are planned for the Mojave modeling, funded by NASA Ames dation through these highly perme- Desert in March 2010 and 1011, and Research Center, using cellular auto- able features situated outside of the to the Namibian Desert in 2010. mata techniques in an attempt to re- presently recognized boundaries of In 2009, subprojects continued produce unusual microbial patterns the aquifer’s recharge zone. on materials from Hawaii, the Azores, that are seen in a number of caves. Mexico, and Oregon. The primary These “biovermiculations” appear to Microbes, the Moon, Mars, research focus was characterization of be a combination of biological and the microbial communities present physical processes. In addition to the and Beyond: NASA Space- and the roles they may be playing in modeling, the team is designing long ward Bound Teacher Training secondary mineral deposits in lava term monitoring experiments on liv- A total of eight expeditions for tubes. In addition, following on ing cave mats to study the effects of the NASA Spaceward Bound Teacher NASA-funded projects from changing environmental parameters to Training Program have occurred since 2001 through 2006, with partners at mat development. Non-NCKRI team 2006 in an ongoing partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technol- members include Dr. Keith Schubert NASA Ames Research Center to pro- ogy and TechShot, Inc., work contin- and Dr. Ernesto Gomez (California vide extreme environment field sci- ues on the role of extraterrestrial lava State University, San Bernardino), Dr. ence experiences for K-12 educators. tubes on the Moon and Mars in future Henry Sun (Desert Research Institute, During the past fiscal year, expedi- space exploration. Las Vegas), and Dr. Chris McKay tions were fielded to Canada, Austra- Work continues at a rapid pace (NASA Ames Research Center). lia, and the Mojave Desert and Mount on a NASA-funded project to Shasta in California. Dr. Penelope develop and field-test a point Boston is the team leader for cave, spectrometer based on karst, lava tube, and microbiology acousto-optic tunable filter activities. The March 2009 Mojave technology to detect biologi-

Pit craters near Tractus Fossae on Mars, and other cavernous features found on the planet by high resolution imaging, are potential high-priority sites for human exploration and the search for extraterrestrial microbial life.

Photos courtesy of NASA and the University of Arizona

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 11

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Cave and Karst Studies jkowski and laboratory supervision by field sites in Alaska, California, Colo- Courses at NMT Dr. Rasima Bakhtiyarova, the pro- rado, and New Mexico. Cave and Karst Studies at New gram has set the standard at New Evidence for biological, geo- Mexico Tech (NMT) is NCKRI’s aca- Mexico Tech. Following are ongoing chemical, and physical processes have demic program and taught through student-lead projects. all been found by different investiga- NMT’s Earth and Environmental Sci- tors. We are trying to discover how ences Department. A variety of regu- Snowy River, Fort Stanton Cave, these formations depend on those lar courses and special topics are New Mexico different processes and if environ- taught by Dr. Penelope Boston on a NCKRI’s Cave and Karst Studies mental conditions such as moisture, rotating 2-year frequency, including: Program has facilitated a NMT Senior organic nutrients, temperature, or • Advanced Topics in Speleohydrol- Civil Engineering Design Class pro- underlying bedrock type affect the ogy ject, which created a working design development or type of moonmilk for an entry shaft and security bunker • Astrobiology produced. for the proposed drilled route to the • Astrogeology: Mars and Beyond Snowy River passage in Fort Stanton Sulfuric Acid Caves and Sulfur • Cave and Karst Systems Cave. The shaft will make future re- Springs of Tabasco, Mexico • Cave and Karst Laboratory search easier, and possible in many Ph.D. student Laura Rosales- • Extraterrestrial Dissolutional Land- cases, in addition to improving safety Lagarde continues her research, work- forms and preserving microclimatological ing to determine the geomicrobiologi- • Frontiers of Geobiology and Geo- and biological conditions in that cal, mineralogical, and geological microbiology unique section of the cave. aspects of Cueva de Villa Luz and • Karst Tufa Spring Mound Research other sulfur caves and springs in the • Model Impact Energetics of Earth Origin of Moonmilk region of southern Tabasco, Mexico. and Mars Master’s student Megan Curry This long-running project (1998- • Moonmilk Research competed her work on this long-term present) is focused on the origins of • Research Experience on Cave Pearl project and successfully defended her the hydrogen sulfide and other gases Origins Masters thesis, A Geomicrobiological and waters flowing into those caves. Dr. Boston currently supervises and Geochemical Approach to the Dr. Penelope Boston and colleagues one Ph.D. student, three Master’s Biogenicity of Moonmilk Formation: from the University of New Mexico students, one undergraduate senior Spider Cave and Pahoehoe Cave, are studying the geomicrobiology of thesis, and four independent study NM; Thursday Morning Cave, CO; these systems. Ms. Rosales-Lagarde projects. Megan Curry successfully Thrush Cave and Cataract Cave, AK anticipates completion of her disserta- defended her Master’s thesis in June in June 2009. The research, under the tion in fall 2009. Additionally, Ms. Rosales- 2009. supervision of Dr. Penelope Boston, Largarde leads the international effort During the 2008-2009 year, the in collaboration with NCKRI board to integrate the scientific community researchers and students of the Cave member Dr. Diana Northup of the with research interests in the cave and and Karst Studies Program have en- University of New Mexico and col- its vicinity. This effort is intended to gaged in excellent and exciting re- leagues from several other institu- lead to better science, a more compre- search. The program has surpassed tions, focused on the origin of pasty hensive picture of the cave system, last year’s record number of new and mineral deposits known, collectively and increased international coopera- ongoing projects. With extensive as “moonmilk.” Ms. Curry sampled tion. grant submission activities and man- moonmilk in a variety of caves from agement supported by Lisa Ma- limestone karst to lava tubes, with Salt Basin Aquifer Assessment The Salt Basin Project deals with current and proposed exploitation of the groundwater resources of the Salt Basin, a tectonic depression of mostly Permian-age carbonate rocks that straddle the southern New Mexico/ Texas border. Prior to agricultural development, groundwater discharged to saline playas in the middle of the

12 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

basin, hence the feature’s name. The Student Awards Simferopol, Ukraine: Ukrainian Insti- cities of El Paso in Texas, Las Cruces Megan Curry and Laura Rosales- tute of Speleology & Karstology. in New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Lagarde received the Marie Curie Rosales-Lagarde, L., Penelope J. Chihuahua, Mexico, have expressed Grant from the Karst Research Insti- Boston, Andrew Campbell, Kevin W. strong interest in the basin as a poten- tute, Scientific Research Centre of the Stafford. 2008. Possible structural tial future water source to supplement Slovenian Academy of Sciences and connection between Chichón Volcano their currently supplies. Arts, Postojna, Slovenia. The grant and the sulfur- rich springs of Villa This three-year project is spon- allowed them to attend the to attend Luz Cave (a.k.a. Cueva de las Sardi- sored by the Interstate Stream Com- the 16th International Karstological nas), southern Mexico. In Association mission and co-managed between Dr. School in Slovenia in 2008 of Mexican Caves Studies Bulletin 19 Penelope Boston and NMT Hydrol- and Sociedad Mexicana de Explora- ogy Professor, Dr. Fred Phillips. Two Student Presentations ciones Subterráneas Boletín 7: Pro- NCKRI student scholars, Andre ceedings of the X, XI and XII Sympo- Rosales-Lagarde, L., P.J. Boston, Ritchie and Sophia Sigstedt, are con- sia of Vulcanospeleology, eds. R. M. Pullin, A. Campbell, K.W. Staf- cluding the hydrological assessment Espinasa-Pereña and J. Pint, 177- ford. 2009. Clasificación del agua de of the basin. Mr. Ritchie is on sched- 184. Austin: Texas. manantiales y su relación con la for- ule to defend his Master’s thesis in Stafford, Kevin W., Dana Ulmer- mación de cavernas en la región de la fall 2009. Scholle, Laura Rosales-Lagarde, Sierra de Tabasco, Norte de Chiapas, Laura. 2008. Hypogene calcitization: México. Paper presented at the IX evaporite diagenesis in the western NASA Planetary Biology Congreso Nacional Mexicano de Delaware Basin. Carbonates and Intern Program Espeleología, January 30 - February Evaporites 23(2): 89-103. For the third consecutive year, 2, in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico. Rosales-Lagarde, L., M. Tobler, Dr. Penny Boston has hosted a NASA Rosales-Lagarde, L., A. Camp- and M. Plath. 2008. Posibles Planetary Biology Intern. This year’s bell, P.J. Boston, K.W. Stafford. amenazas y soluciones para la preser- intern is Celeste Asikainen, from the 2008. Sulfur and oxygen isotopes: vación de la Cueva de las Sardinas y University of Massachusetts Amherst, evidence of H S spring sources, 2 sus formas de vida y características and she works under Dr. Lynn Mar- southern Mexico. Paper presented at únicas. Mundos Subterráneos. golis. the Goldschmidt Conference, July 13- Ms. Asikainen is studying micro- 18, Vancouver, Canada. bial structures produced at the bot- Student Support at Other toms of deep cold lakes in New Eng- Student Publications Universities land. The structures are composed of Boston, P.J., M.N. Spilde, D.E. NCKRI’s broader educational iron and manganese materials inter- Northup, M.C. Curry, L.A. Melim, outreach efforts extend to universities mixed with living materials. There are and L. Rosales-Lagarde. 2009. Micro- outside of New Mexico Tech. General striking similarities and instructive organisms as speleogenetic agents: support through information and ideas differences between her study sub- Geochemical diversity but geomicro- is provided to many students. Formal jects and cave ferromanganese struc- bial unity. In Special Paper 1, Hy- support is currently provided by Ex- tures and desert varnish deposits, long pogene Speleogenesis and Karst Hy- ecutive Director Dr. George Veni, studied by Dr. Boston and her col- drology of Artesian Basins, eds., A.B. leagues. Ms. Asikainen will continue who serves on the committees of two Klimchouk & D.C. Ford, 51-58. Sim- students at The University of Texas at her research at her home university feropol, Ukraine: Ukrainian Institute during the fall of 2009 and return San Antonio (UTSA): of Speleology & Karstology. • Kyle Cunningham is completing a again to NMT in early 2010 to con- Curry, Megan, Penelope J. Bos- tinue to work with Boston’s team. Master’s degree in environmental ton, Mike Spilde, James F. Baichtal, science; her thesis examines the Andrew R. Campbell. 2009. Cotton- effects of extinguishing a giant Micrometeorology of Caves balls, a unique subaqueous moonmilk, mulch pile fire on the karstic Ed- The Cave and Karst Program is and abundant moonmilk in Cataract wards Aquifer and developing ef- developing physics-based models of Cave, Tongass National Forest, AK. fective groundwater quality moni- micrometerological processes in International Journal of Speleology caves in conjunction with Dr. John 38(2): 111-128. toring programs for private wells Wilson and Dr. Anders Jorgensen of Rosales-Lagarde, L., P.J. Boston, drawing from karst aquifers. NMT, Dr. Scott Tyler of the Univer- A. Campbell, M. Pullin. 2009. Villa • Keith Muhlestein has recently en- sity of Nevada Reno, and Paul Burger Luz Park Caves: Speleogenesis Based tered a doctoral program in geol- of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. on Current Stratigraphic and Mor- ogy; his dissertation will study ther- Master’s student Ravindra Dwivedi is phologic Evidence. In Special Paper mal imaging of caves and karst fea- nearing completion on the modeling 1, Hypogene Speleogenesis and Karst tures and their application to envi- efforts and plans to defend his thesis Hydrology of Artesian Basins, eds., ronmental assessments of karst ar- in fall 2009. A.B. Klimchouk & D.C. Ford, 245. eas.

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 13

OUTREACH

Partnership Meetings Conferences Community Involvement Developing partnerships is key to NCKRI has attended, sponsored, NCKRI: NCKRI current growth and future and/or had a booth at numerous confer- • Participated in the Carlsbad Cham- success. Executive Director Dr. ences, such as: ber of Commerce’s yearly Business George Veni has led this effort and • 4th European Congress of Speleol- Fair this year met in person and by tele- ogy, Vercors, France (August 2008) • Joined a team of federal agencies in conference with many people and • 13th International Symposium on the Carlsbad area (Bureau of Land organizations, include the Karst Wa- Vulcanospeleology, Jeju Island, Re- Management, National Park Ser- ters Institute Board of Directors, the public of Korea (September 2008) vice, and U.S. Forest Service), to National Park Service Cave Inventory • Geological Society of America Con- sponsor and participate in Relay for and Monitoring Team, and the U.S. vention, Houston, Texas (October Life, a nationwide campaign to raise Forest Service. Other partnership ef- 2008) awareness and funds to fight cancer forts are outlined below. • Society for Advancement of Chica- • Attended regular meetings of Carls- • As an advisor to Western Kentucky nos and Native Americans in Science bad Chamber of Commerce, Carls- University’s Applied Research and Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah bad Department of Development, Technology Program, Dr. Veni at- (October, 2008) and Carlsbad Rotary Club. tends advisory board meetings in • Symposium on Applications of Geo- Bowling Green. He followed this physics to Engineering and Environ- Guest Speakers year’s meeting by meeting with mental Problems, Fort Worth, Texas staff and directors of the Mammoth NCKRI’s Drs. Lewis Land and (March 2009) George Veni were invited to speak at Cave International Center for Sci- • International Conference on Hy- ence and Learning, and the univer- or give presentations to: pogene Speleogenesis and Karst • Pecos Valley Grotto, National Spe- sity’s Hoffman Environmental Re- Hydrogeology of Artesian Basins, search Institute and Department of leological Society: Hypogenic spe- Chernivtsy, Ukraine (May 2009) leogenesis within Seven Rivers Geography and Geology. • Several national and regional spe- • NCKRI co-organized a multi- evaporites: Coffee Cave, Eddy leological conferences in the US. County, New Mexico agency planning meeting for devel- Additionally, NCKRI is a major spon- oping and promoting current best • Carlsbad High School Education sor of the 15th International Congress Week: Very large holes in the management strategies in caves and of Speleology scheduled for July 19- karst. All agreed that NCKRI would ground and how they got there 26, 2009 in Kerrville, Texas, by pro- • Pecos Valley Grotto, National Spe- take the lead in developing future viding both staff and financial support. conferences and publications on leological Society: Anthropogenic Dr. Veni is the Congress Chairman and sinkholes in the Delaware Basin re- this topic. several members of NCKRI’s board • Dr. Boston continued a long term gion of west Texas and southeastern serve on the Congress Organizing New Mexico advisory relationship with the Mu- Committee. Roughly 1,500 speleolo- seum of Science and Industry in • Bottomless Lakes State Park En- gists from about 50 countries are ex- chanted Evenings presentation: Sink- Chicago in their development of a pected to participate. major exploration-oriented field holes and karst aquifers in southeast- science exhibit scheduled to open in ern New Mexico and west Texas 2012. • Chihuahuan Desert Conservation • Dr. Veni serves as Adjunct Secre- Alliance in Carlsbad, New Mexico: tary on the Bureau (governing Fragile Earth: Sinkhole Causes, board) of the Union Internationale Risks, and Management de Spéléologie (UIS). During the • Albuquerque High School, New annual Bureau meeting, which oc- Mexico, on cave science and explo- curred in the Republic of Korea in ration 2008, he teamed NCKRI with the • Several groups of New Mexico high UIS and the Società Speleologica school counselors as part of an ongo- Italiana to create a cave education ing recruitment program sponsored DVD for free distribution at the by the New Mexico Institute of Min- 15th International Congress of Spe- ing and Technology’s Admissions leology. Office.

14 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Distinguished Lecture BOARD ACTIVITIES Dr. George Crothers gave a pres- entation on his 15 years of archeo- logical research at Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The Distinguished Lecture series is well-attended and given to The NCKRI Board of Directors store programs the citizens of Carlsbad. met twice this year: October 2008 in • Held Groundbreaking Ceremony Houston, Texas, in conjunction with for construction of NCKRI head- the Geological Society of America quarters. Media Convention, and in June 2009 in • Continued support of the Karst Major showcasing of NCKRI Carlsbad, New Mexico, which in- Information Portal, a joint project geomicrobiology research appeared in cluded an inspection of construction of NCKRI, the University of South a National Geographic television spe- at NCKRI Headquarters. The Execu- Florida, the University of New cial, Giant Crystal Caves, and a Dis- tive Committee met 10 times via tele- Mexico, and the Union Internation- covery Channel broadcast, Josh Bern- phone. ale de Spéléologie. stein: Into the Unknown. There was one change on the NCKRI also sponsored work by Dr. Boston led a public television board this year, Carol McCoy (the graduate and undergraduate students sponsored science café on cave sci- National Park Service Director) re- at New Mexico Tech and The Univer- ence and microbiology. tired and David Steensen was ap- sity of Texas at San Antonio. Several NCKRI staff were interviewed pointed as the Director representing of these projects have been multiple for, or contributed to, reports in or by: the National Park Service. Carol’s year efforts. See the Student Activities • The Santa Fe New Mexican news- service was greatly appreciated by the section for details. paper on construction of NCKRI board and will be missed. NCKRI sponsored two major Headquarters Following are some of the events this calendar year, the Hy- • Newspapers in New Mexico and Board’s activities during the year: pogene Speleogenesis meeting in the Texas • Defined Award Guidelines Ukraine in May 2009, and the 15th • KOBR TV station in New Mexico • Defined items to be included in the International Congress of Speleology on the Groundbreaking Ceremony office Standard Operating Proce- to be held in July 2009 in Kerrville, of NCKRI Headquarters dures, which will be reviewed an- Texas. • An interview featuring the headqua- nually by the Executive Committee NCKRI also donated money to ter’s bat roost was on KBIM/KRQE • Worked on Research Grant Guide- the National Speleological Society to TV stations in New Mexico lines help study and fight White Nose Syn- • Interviews for radio stations in Ar- • Hired an Education Director, Di- drome, a devastating and mysterious tesia and Carlsbad, New Mexico anne Gillespie, who is tasked with affliction that has killed nearly 1 mil- and San Antonio, Texas. the education, museum, and book- lion bats in the northeastern US.

Tourists at Mammoth Cave’s historic River Styx Spring, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. Photo by George Veni

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 15

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Hazel Medville, of the Planning, Evaluation and Per- Jim Goodbar Chairman mits Branch of the NPS Geologic Charter board member; Bachelor’s Member since 2005, Chairman since Resources Division; she manages a Degree in Park and Recreation Man- 2006, Bachelor’s degree in Statistics multi-disciplinary staff that provides agement, also Graduate Studies in and Computer Science. Hazel is a policy and technical expertise to all Cave and Karst Resources, Geology, retired Computer Engineer/Manager levels of the NPS organization on a and Geomorphology. Jim works for who now spends much of her time variety of geologic and minerals man- the U.S. Bureau of Land Management surveying caves in Hawaii and Colo- agement issues, including cave and (BLM) as the Senior Cave and Karst rado. She was the President Pro-Tem karst resource stewardship. She has Resources Specialist with the Wash- and Government Liaison for the Na- also worked for a law firm, the U.S. ington Office. Jim also serves as the tional Speleological Society, the Environmental Protection Agency, BLM New Mexico State Cave Coor- Technical Program Chairman for the and George Washington University. dinator and as the Senior Cave and 15th International Congress of Spe- Karst Specialist for the BLM Pecos leology, and is currently the Director Dave Steensen District and the Carlsbad Field Office. of the West Virginia and Hawaii Spe- Member since January 2009; perma- His duty station is located in Carls- leological Surveys. nent position representing the Na- bad, New Mexico. His primary re- tional Park Service; Bachelor’s De- sponsibilities are to establish policy Dale Pate, gree in Geology and a Master’s De- and provide guidance on cave and gree in Environmental Systems/ karst resources management to BLM Vice-Chairman Applied Geology. Dave is the Chief field offices across the United States, Member from 2000-2002; 2006 to of the Geologic Resources Division of serve as the international point of present, and Vice-Chairman since the National Park Service. One of his contact for all cave/karst related is- 2006. Bachelor’s degree in Geogra- responsibilities as Chief is oversight sues and requests for assistance, de- phy. Dale has been the National Park and support of the Service-wide cave velop and conduct training courses for Service Acting Cave and Karst Pro- and karst resource management pro- cave/karst resources, and develop best gram Coordinator since May 2007, gram. management practices for land use and the Supervisory Physical Scientist actions in karst lands. (Cave Specialist) at Carlsbad Cavern National Park since July 1991. Harry Burgess Member since 2005; permanent posi- Dr. John (Jack) Hess, tion appointed by the Mayor of Carls- Member at Large Richard Cervantes, bad, New Mexico; Bachelor’s Degree Member since 2005; Member at Secretary/Treasurer in Industrial Relations, Master’s De- Large of Executive Committee; PhD Member since 2005; permanent posi- gree in Fire and Emergency Manage- in Geology. Jack is the Executive tion representing New Mexico Tech. ment Administration; Master’s of Director of the Geological Society of Master’s Degree in Accounting and Business Administration. Harry repre- America (GSA). Prior to joining GSA Information Systems, and is also a sents the city of Carlsbad in its par- in 2001, he was Executive Director of CPA. Richard is the Associate Vice ticipation with NCKRI. He is Carls- the Division of Hydrologic Sciences President of Research and Economic bad’s City Administrator but also has and Vice President for Academic Af- Development with New Mexico Tech. a caving background, having worked fairs at the Desert Research Institute He is responsible for administrative previously with the National Park in Nevada. Jack currently serves on affairs including budget preparation, Service and served on the Board of the board of the Karst Waters Insti- fiscal and project management, pro- the National Cave Rescue Commis- tute, and Longs Peak Council of the posal development and contract nego- sion. He also taught caving for the Boy Scouts of America, as well as tiation. National Outdoor Leadership School. NCKRI. Jack is a Fellow of the Geo- logical Society of America, the Na- Carol McCoy Dr. Ronald T. Green tional Speleological Society, and the Member from July 2007 to January Member since 2007; Bachelor’s in Cave Research Foundation. 2009; permanent position represent- Industrial Engineering; Bachelor’s in ing the National Park Service (NPS); Geology; Master’s in Geophysics; Dr. Kathleen Lavoie Law Degree, Master’s Degree in Pub- PhD in Hydrology. Ron is a Hydro- Member since 2006; PhD in Biologi- lic Policy, Bachelor’s Degree in Envi- geologist with the Southwest Re- cal Sciences. Kathleen is a Biologist ronmental Studies. Carol is the Chief search Institute, San Antonio, Texas. and Professor and Dean of the Faculty

16 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

of Arts and Sciences at the State Uni- teractions with rock surfaces in caves USFS in 1972. Jerry’s first caving trip versity of New York College at Platts- and in desert varnish. was in Carlsbad Cavern in 1947. burgh. Since 1974, she has studied the biology of animals that live in caves. Randall Orndorff Dr. H. Len Vacher Her research deals with microbiology, Member from December 2000-2004 Member since 2005; PhD in Geology. geomicrobiology, cave crickets, sulfur and 2006 to June 2009; Bachelor’s and Len is a Professor of Geology at the cave systems, and invertebrate ecology Master’s degrees in geology. Randy is University of South Florida where he with a smattering of work on bats. currently the Associate Program Coor- taught hydrogeology and studied young Kathy was honored to receive the Sci- dinator for the US Geological Survey carbonate islands experiencing diagene- ence Award from the National Spe- (USGS) National Cooperative Geologic sis (settings for eogenetic karst). His leological Society in 2007 in recogni- Mapping Program. He has been with teaching and sponsored research now tion of her long term contributions to the USGS since 1981 as a geologic focus on cross-curriculum quantitative cave science. mapper and expert on Cambrian- literacy and math concepts for geolo- Ordovician carbonate rocks in the Cen- gists. One of the founding directors of Dr. Donald McFarlane tral Appalachians and Ozarks. His karst the National Numeracy Network, a non- Member since 2005; Bachelor’s and work includes geologic controls and profit membership organization promot- Master’s Degrees in Zoology and a PhD frameworks on karst development of ing quantitative literacy, he is now a in Ecology. Donald is a Professor of the Appalachians and Ozarks. managing editor of its new open-access Biology, The Claremont Colleges, Cali- journal, Numeracy. fornia. His professional interests are in Geary Schindel Late Pleistocene mammalian extinc- Member since 2004; Bachelor’s Degree NOTES: tions and paleo-ecological records from in Geology and a Master’s Degree in During this past fiscal year: caves. He has been caving since 1973, Geography. Geary is the Chief Techni- • Carol McCoy retired from the Board and done research in the West Indies, cal Officer of the Edwards Aquifer Au- in January 2009 and Dave Steensen Mexico, Ecuador, Europe, Kenya, New thority in San Antonio, Texas and di- was appointed by the National Park Zealand, Malaysia, and the U.S. rects the science research program. The Service to replace her Edwards Aquifer is a major karst aqui- • Randall Orndorff retired from the Dr. Diana Northup fer that provides water to more than 1.7 Board and Dave Weary of the US Member since 2006; PhD in Biology. million people in south-central Texas. Geological Survey was elected as Diana is Professor Emerita in the Uni- his replacement in June 2009 versity Libraries at the University of Dr. Jerry Trout • Donald McFarlane and Jerry Trout New Mexico and a Visiting Associate Charter board member; PhD in Educa- also retired from the Board, and Professor of Biology, Albuquerque, tion. Jerry is with the US Forest Service their replacements, Todd Chavez New Mexico. Since 1984, she has stud- (USFS) at the Coronado National Forest (University of South Florida) and ied organisms that live in caves. Diana in Tucson, Arizona; he coordinates all Ronal Kerbo (retired, NPS), were and her colleagues on the SLIME phases of cave management, conserva- elected in August 2009. (Subsurface Life In Mineral Environ- tion, and research for USFS in the US. See next year’s report for more infor- ments) Team investigate microbial in- He became the first cave specialist for mation on the new Board members.

Aerial view of NCKRI Headquarters under construction, April 25, 2009. Photo by Larry Pardue

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 17

NCKRI STAFF

Dr. George Veni, Dr. Penelope Boston, Dianne Gillespie, Executive Director Academic Program Associate Director of Education Dr. Veni is an internationally Associate Director recognized hydrogeologist specializ- Dr. Boston administers NCKRI’s ing in caves and karst terrains. Prior Cave and Karst Studies program at to NCKRI, he owned and served as New Mexico Tech. She teaches principal investigator of George Veni classes in cave and karst science, geo- and Associates for more than 20 microbiology, astrobiology, and years. He has also conducted exten- global systems, and supervises gradu- sive karst research throughout the ate students studying those topics. Dr. United States and in several other Boston received a National Research countries. His administrative work Council Postdoctoral Fellowship at includes serving as the Executive NASA-Langley Research Center in Secretary of the National Speleologi- Virginia, has held positions at NCAR, cal Society’s Section of Cave Geol- the University of Colorado, Univer- ogy and Geography for 11 years, sity of New Mexico, and founded and President of the Texas Speleological operated her own non-profit research Survey for 13 years, and as Adjunct institute (Complex Systems Res., Secretary of the Union Internationale Inc.) for 14 years before joining de Spéléologie since 2002. He has NCKRI in 2002. She is a Fellow of Ms. Gillespie began working for also served as a member of the geo- the NASA Institute for Advanced NCKRI on June 22, 2009 and brings logical and biological dissertations at Concepts, Past President of the Asso- with her a wealth of teaching experi- The University of Texas and teaches ciation of Mars Explorers, Senior ence, both formal and informal. While karst geosciences courses as an ad- Editor of Astrobiology, member of the most of this experience has been junct professor for Western Kentucky NASA Advisory Council Committee gained in Kentucky and Tennessee University. He has published and pre- on Planetary Protection, member of classrooms, she has also conducted sented over 150 papers, including five the National Academy of Sciences and assisted with cave and karst edu- books, on hydrogeology, biology, and COMPLEX committee, and past ad- cation programs with the National environmental management in karst visory board member of the Journal Park Service, American Cave Conser- terrains. of Cave & Karst Studies. vation Association, and Western Ken- tucky University, among others. Ms. Gillespie holds a Masters degree in education, with a focus on science and history, and is the Education Di- vision Chief of the National Spe- leological Society. She is an active and experienced cave explorer and surveyor. Ms Gillespie brings a diverse and creative set of talents to NCKRI, with a Bachelors degree in theatre, and through a decade of theatrical and television production experiences with Kentucky Educational Televi- sion, the state of Florida, Discovery Channel, and more.

Prior to joining NCKRI, Dr. Veni con- ducted dye traces (left) and related re- search to study groundwater flow in karst aquifers. Photo by Jim Wolff

18 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Dr. Lewis A. Land, Karst Hydrologist Dr. Land is a karst hydrogeolo- gist with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources (NMBGMR), and serves as the Bu- reau’s liaison with NCKRI. Prior to his career as a hydrogeologist, Dr. Land spent eight years in the petro- leum industry exploring for new oil reserves in the Mid-Continent and Rocky Mountain regions of the U.S., and offshore West Africa. He re- ceived his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where his doctoral research included sub- mersible investigations of submarine sinkholes in the Straits of Florida. Before coming to work for NCKRI and NMBGMR in 2002, Dr. Land spent two years with the North Caro- lina Division of Water Resources conducting geophysical surveys of Dr. Lewis Land scuba diving into a karst spring to collect water samples. Photo by Geoff Rawling aquifers beneath the coastal plain of North Carolina. Dr. Land’s current research fo- and served for five years on the Bachelors and Masters of Science cuses on regional investigations of NMGS Executive Committee. degrees in geology from New Mexico karstic aquifers and associated phe- Tech. Focus areas included grant nomena in southern New Mexico. He Debbie Herr, budget management, technical meet- has served on several graduate student Administrative Coordinator ing development, proposal manage- committees at New Mexico Tech Debbie joined NCKRI in January ment, national conference exhibiting, (NMT), and is an adjunct faculty 2008 to organize and lead its adminis- scientific and technical reporting, and member in the NMT Department of trative activities after working as a geographic information systems Earth and Environmental Sciences. secretary in the Truth or Conse- (GIS). He is a Past-President of the New quences Municipal School District for In addition to her role with Mexico Geological Society (NMGS), 11½ years. She received an Associ- NCKRI, Lisa is also the program ate’s Degree in Secretarial Admini- manager for several other large pro- stration from New Mexico State Uni- jects including the CRONUS-Earth versity at Carlsbad, and has over 20 Project, the New Mexico-EPSCoR years experience as a secretary and Undergraduate Research Opportuni- administrative assistant. Debbie is ties Program (REU), the Chemistry also a piano accompanist, having Interdisciplinary Science for the Envi- worked with many high school stu- ronment REU Program, and the dents, several churches, a community NASA instrument project: New Mex- chorus, and many soloists, both vocal ico Exoplanet Spectrographic Survey and instrumental. Instrument. During the summer of 2009, Lisa conducted fieldwork with Dr. Fred Lisa Majkowski, Phillips of NMT to model the neo- Cave & Karst Studies tectonic evolution of the Owens Val- Program Liaison ley in California. She also worked on Lisa works for the New Mexico an REU project which focused on Tech Earth and Environmental Sci- using GIS techniques to understand ence Department as the Earth Systems the spatial distribution and temporal Specialist, as well as being the Cave changes of the Mora Valley, New and Karst Studies Program Liaison Mexico, acequia (irrigation canal) Debbie Herr, with NCKRI. Lisa received her system. NCKRI Administrative Coordinator

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 19

STAFF PUBLICATIONS

Published Reports and Journal Articles Banner, Jay, George Veni, Brian Cowan, and Elizabeth McGee. 2008. Geomorphic and hydro- chemical history of the Edwards Aquifer at Inner Space Cavern. Guidebook for Geological Society of America Field Trip No. 411, 2008 Geological Society of Amer- ica Convention, Houston, Texas, 47.

Boston, P.J. 2008. Extremophiles and life on other planets. In The Sev- enty Great Mysteries of the Natu- ral World. 171-173. London: Thames & Hudson, Ltd.

Boston, P.J., M,N.Spilde, D.E. Northup, M.C. Curry, L.A. Melim, L.A., and L. Rosales- Lagarde. 2009. Microorganisms as Photo by George Veni Dr. Jay Banner of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) points out recent flood lines during speleogenetic agents: Geochemi- a joint NCKRI-UT geology field trip to Inner Space Cavern, Texas, for the 2008 Geologi- cal diversity but geomicrobial cal Society of America Convention. unity. In Hypogene Speleogenesis and Karst Hydrology of Artesian NM. In ASCE Geotechnical Spe- examples from the Lower Pecos Basins eds. A.B. Klimchouk & cial Publication no. 183: Proceed- Region of New Mexico, USA. In D.C. Ford, Special Paper 1:51-57. ings of the Eleventh Multidiscipli- NCKRI Symposium 1, Advances in Ukrainian Institute of Speleology nary Conference on Sinkholes and Hypogene Karst Studies, Kevin and Karstology, Simferopol, the Engineering and Environ- W. Stafford, Lewis Land, George Ukraine. mental Impacts of Karst, eds. L. Veni, eds., 149-156. Yuhr, E.C. Alexander, Jr., and B. Curry, M., P.J. Boston, M.N. Spilde, Beck, 396-403. Tallahassee: Flor- Lucas, Gregory, Brad P. Wilcox, Bev- J. Baichtal, and A. Campbell. ida. erley Shade, Clyde Munster, Keith 2009. Cottonballs: A unique Owens, and George Veni. 2009. subaqueous moonmilk, and abun- Kuhlman, K.R., A. Behar, J. Jones, P. Large-scale rainfall simulation dant subaerial moonmilk in Cata- Boston, J. Antol, G. Hajos, W. over shallow caves on karst shrub- ract Cave, Tongass National For- Kelliher, M. Coleman, R. Craw- lands. Ecohydrology 2(1): 72-80. est, Alaska. International Journal ford, L. Rothschild, M. Buehler, of Speleology 38(2): 111-128. G. Bearman, and D.W. Wilson. Melim, L.A., D.E. Northup, M.N. 2009. Tumbleweed: A new para- Spilde, B. Jones, P.J. Boston, and Land, L. 2009. Anthropogenic sink- digm for surveying the surface of R.J. Bixby. 2008. Reticulated fila- holes in the Delaware Basin Re- mars for in-situ resources. In ments in cave pool speleothems: gion: west Texas and southeastern Mars: Prospective Energy and Microbe or mineral? Journal of New Mexico. West Texas Geo- Materials Resources, ed. V. Cave and Karst Studies 70: 135- logical Society Bulletin 48: 10-22. Badescu, 401-429. Springer- 141. Verlag. Land, L. and P. Burger. 2008. Rapid Rosales-Lagarde L., A. Campbell, recharge events in a karstic aqui- Land, Lewis. 2009. The impact of P.J. Boston, and K.W. Stafford. fer: an example from Lake of the hypogenic processes on water 2008. Sulfur and Oxygen isotopes: White Roses, Lechuguilla Cave, resources in the arid Southwest: Evidence of H2S spring sources,

20 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Southern Mexico. Geochimica et 226. EES Press. of America Convention, Houston, Cosmochimica Acta 72(12): A805- Texas. A805. Froehlich, David, Laura Froehlich, Rickard Toomey, and George Veni. Stafford, K.W and L. Land., 2008. Un- Snider, J.R., C. Goin, R.V. Miller, P.J., 2008. A review of Late Pleistocene discovered karst country: A new Boston, and D.E. Northup. 2009. to Historic vertebrate faunas recov- paradigm for the Pecos region of Ultraviolet radiation sensitivity in ered from caves and karst features at eastern New Mexico and west Texas cave bacteria: Evidence of adapta- Camp Bullis, Texas. Society of Ver- as a basin-scale, hypogene speleoge- tion to the subsurface? International tebrate Paleontology Annual Meet- netic province. In Abstracts with Journal of Speleology 38(1): 1-12. ing, Cleveland, Ohio, Journal of Programs: Geological Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 28(3) sup- America Convention, Houston, Stafford, Kevin W., Lewis Land, Alex- plement: 81A. Texas. ander B. Klimchouk, and Marcus O. Gary. 2009. The Pecos River hy- Land, L, and R. Aster. 2009. Seismic pogene speleogenetic province: a recordings of an anthropogenic sink- Strader, B., K. Schubert, E. Gomez, J. basin-scale karst paradigm for east- hole collapse. In Proceedings of the Curnutt, and P. Boston. 2009. Simu- ern New Mexico and west Texas, Symposium on the Application of lating spatial partial differential USA. In NCKRI Symposium 1, Ad- Geophysics to Engineering and En- equations with cellular automata. In vances in Hypogene Karst Studies, vironmental Problems, 511-519. Proceedings of the 2009 Interna- Kevin W. Stafford, Lewis Land, Environmental and Engineering tional Conference on Bioinformatics George Veni, eds., 121-135. Geophysical Society and Geophysi- and Computational Biology, vol. 2, cal Society Annual Meeting, Fort eds., Hamid R. Arabnia and Mary Veni, George and Lynn Heizler. 2009. Worth: Texas. Qu Yang, 503–509. Hypogenic origin of Robber Baron Cave: implications on the evolution Land, L., 2009. Anthropogenic sink- Veni, George. 2008. Hypogenic origin and management of the Edwards holes in the Delaware Basin Region: of Robber Baron Cave: implications Aquifer, central Texas, USA. In West Texas and southeastern New on the evolution and management of NCKRI Symposium 1, Advances in Mexico. West Texas Geological the Edwards Aquifer, central Texas, Hypogene Karst Studies, Kevin W. Society, Midland, Texas. USA. In Abstracts with Programs: Stafford, Lewis Land, George Veni, Geological Society of America Con- eds., 85-98. Land, L. 2008. The impact of hy- vention, Houston, Texas. pogenic processes on water re- Conference Papers sources in the arid southwest: Ex- Veni, George, Diana Northup, and Todd amples from the lower Pecos region Chavez. 2008. The Karst Informa- Bazan, Robert A., Clyde L. Munster, of New Mexico, USA. In Abstracts tion Portal: A Vital Resource for Brad P. Wilcox, George Veni, and with Programs: Geological Society Non-Karst Caves and Related Phe- Beverley Shade. 2008. nomena. In Proceedings of the Cave monitoring of re- 13th International Vulca- charge rates in the Ed- nospeleology Symposium, Jeju wards Aquifer Recharge Island, Republic of Korea, 70. Zone – before and after

juniper removal. In Ab- stracts with Programs: Books Reviewed Geological Society of or Edited America Convention, Stafford, Kevin W., Lewis Houston, Texas. Land, and George Veni, eds. 2009. Advances in Hypogene Boston, P.J., J. Curnutt, E. Karst Studies. National Cave Gomez, K. Schubert, B. and Karst Research Institute Strader. 2009. Patterned Symposium 1, Carlsbad: Na- growth in extreme envi- tional Cave and Karst Research ronments. In Proceed- Institute. ings of the Third IEEE International Confer- Veni, George 2009. Book re- ence on Space Mission NCKRI investigated this 12-m deep soil sinkhole in southern New view: Höhlen: Verborgene Challenges for Informa- Mexico that swallowed a bulldozer and driver in December 2008; Welten [Caves: Hidden tion Technology, 221- the driver was not hurt. Photo by George Veni Worlds]. NSS News 67(1): 24.

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 21

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

TBH: To Be Hired Phase 1: 2010 - 2011 Phase 2: 2011 - 2012 Phase 3: 2012 - 2013 (all hiring periods and positions dependent on available funding and needs)

22 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

2008-2009 BUDGET

National Park Service State of New Mexico COMBINED FY08 FY08 FY08 *FY08 FY08 FY08 Combined Combined Budget Actuals Budget Actuals Budget Actuals

PROJECT SALARIES Staff 178,743 98,161 141,409 149,131 320,152 247,292 Students 50,000 12,663 50,000 12,663 Project Salaries Sub-total 178,743 98,161 191,409 161,794 370,152 259,955

FRINGE BENEFITS Staff 57,198 36,017 40,091 46,665 97,289 82,682 Students 1,000 365 1,000 365 Fringe Benefits Sub-total 57,198 36,017 41,091 47,030 98,289 83,047 TOTAL PERSONNEL EXPENSE 235,941 134,178 232,500 208,824 468,441 343,002 PROJECT FUNDS NCKRI funds to USGS to publish cave meeting proceedings 2,000 2,000 2,000 2,000

OPERATING EXPENSES Maintenance Fund/Rent 12,500 12,500 Utilities and janitorial Supplies & Expense 9,615 40,931 64,800 29,534 74,415 70,465 Telephone Equipment Charges 330 2,000 1,026 2,000 1,356 Travel 15,000 20,386 38,000 5,843 53,000 26,229 Equipment 539,534 539,534 Programs 18,000 5,000 1,540 18,000 6,540 NMT Administrative Support 25,000 20,000 25,000 20,000 NMT "Indirect" from NPS Budget 22,444 16,066 22,444 16,066 NPS "Indirect" to GRD at 6% on NPS appropriation 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 TOTAL OPERATING EXPENSE 85,059 102,713 669,334 57,943 754,393 160,656

TOTAL ALL EXPENSES 321,000 236,891 901,834 266,767 1,222,834 503,658

Personnel Personnel Salaries Salaries Personnel Personnel Benefits Benefits Operating Operating Expenses Expenses FY 08 Combined Budget FY 08 Combined Actuals

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 23

STRATEGIC PLANS

The following is a partial list of of museum exhibits and the purchase NCKRI supporting and/or assisting goals for NCKRI’s Strategic Plan, pre- of office and lab equipment). with the production of the Journal of sented relative to the fiscal year which • Conduct building-related fundraising Cave and Karst Studies begins annually on July 1. Goals are to fund additional or superior exhib- • Conduct research and begin prepara- presented in a combined order of prior- its, equipment, and construction, and tion to establish a NCKRI Founda- ity and chronology. The goals are gen- to endow key staff positions and pro- tion. erally described in broad terms, and are jects. • Write an updated business plan. not exclusive or described to their full • Continue to promote use and develop- • Develop job descriptions to select extent. Many additional facets and de- ment of the Karst Information Portal. personnel when NCKRI Headquarters tails will be developed and presented in • Develop lists of potential research is complete and funding allows the a forthcoming NCKRI Business Plan. projects and sponsors/partners for hiring of additional staff. Annual evaluations of progress toward those projects, and begin working the goals and overarching concepts are with the most likely and/or crucial FY 2010-2011 understood as included. projects and sponsors. • Move into NCKRI Headquarters. • Begin local karst education series • Hire staff as warranted by funding Vision Statement program. and the most critical needs. NCKRI will be the world’s premier • Begin a national karst education pro- • Establish a NCKRI Foundation. cave and karst research organization, gram with curricula for K-12 and uni- • Continue high-level national and in- facilitating and conducting programs in versities, and outreach programs for ternational public relations campaigns research, education, data management, agencies and organizations. for fund and partnership building as- and stewardship in all fields of speleol- • Complete development of a coopera- sociated with the grand opening of ogy through its own efforts and by es- tive agreement with the Carlsbad NCKRI Headquarters. tablishing an international consortium Caverns/Guadalupe Mountains Nat- • Submit proposal to the National Sci- of partners whose individual efforts will ural History Association for the op- ence Foundation to establish an inter- be supported to promote cooperation, eration of the NCKRI bookstore. national cave sample archive facility; synergy, flexibility, and creativity. • Begin preparation of NCKRI-specific the grounds would be large enough to materials that will be ready for sale in later construct additional facilities as FY 2009-2010 the bookstore when NCKRI Head- needed (some possibilities are dis- • Hire an Advancement Coordinator. quarters is opened to the public. cussed below). • Continue construction of NCKRI • Investigate possibilities with the Na- • Begin intensively initiating national headquarters (includes development tional Speleological Society on partnerships, projects, and associated

Conceptual drawing of exhibits in NCKRI Headquarters lobby; this view flattens a curved area. To the right is NCKRI reception/ information and the bookstore entrance. Straight ahead will be an accurate and precise partial recreation of the Chandelier Ballroom in Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Large and small cave entrances lead to the exhibit hall and rest- rooms. A manikin dressed in appropriate caving equipment hangs from the ceiling, demonstrating proper rappelling technique.

24 2009 ANNUAL REPORT NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Conceptual layout of NCKRI Headquarters’ exhibit and museum area. Visitors will enjoy a cave-like experience as they enter through the indirectly lit Twilight Zone foyer exhibit and progress into darker cave zones that feature exploration (below), the sciences, and management and protection of karst terrains. NCKRI conceptual exhibit plan and drawings provided by Frank Binney and Associates.

fund-raising, with the goal of estab- or its partners; exhibitions should be science. lishing a consortium that can work funded by sponsors, with some costs • Begin development of a NCKRI more effectively to solve basic and covered by entry fees when neces- video that can be shown at NCKRI applied problems, and be more com- sary. Headquarters, as well as other venues, petitive in receiving funding. that promotes the importance of caves • Begin development of an interna- FY 2011-2012 and karst and the need for the proper tional karst research coalition, to in- • Reestablish the NCKRI Visiting stewardship. clude a network of laboratories and Scholar Program, preferably as an • Begin a student research grant and field research sites (ICKL: Interna- endowed position. internship program tied to NCKRI tional Cave and Karst Laboratories). • Conduct follow-up Future Directions projects and partners. • Establish a Carlsbad Spring monitor- in Karst Research Workshop focused ing program with the City of Carlsbad on applied research issues, which will FY 2012-2014 and other partners to have a live-feed serve as an impetus to… • Karst education program is estab- display in the headquarters building • Begin a regular publication series for lished with major universities and when it is completed, and as part of NCKRI, Current Best Practices in agencies. regional self-guided and NCKRI- Karst Science, to fill a critical need of • Complete development of an interna- guided educational tours. research scientists and environmental tional karst research coalition, to in- • Begin a series of traveling karst mu- managers. clude a network of laboratories and seum exhibitions with partners, using • Begin regular production of a new field research sites (ICKL: Interna- NCKRI classroom space when not publication series, National Report on tional Cave and Karst Laboratories). needed for classes or conferences to the Status of Caves and Karst, to es- • Begin development of an interna- present exhibitions created by NCKRI tablish NCKRI as the leader in karst tional karst research coalition, to in- clude a network of laboratories and field research sites.

FY 2014-2019 • Complete development of an international karst research coalition. • Construct a facility separate from NCKRI headquarters for research laboratories, archival storage of cave samples and library materials, and as a field station for visiting scholars and students.

NATIONAL CAVE AND KARST RESEARCH INSTITUTE 2009 ANNUAL REPORT 25