INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 1

Increasing Attitudes towards Cave Conservation through Community Engagement:

Empowering high school students to lead Earth Day activities at Hidden River Cave

Abby Harris

Franklin Simpson High School

Miami University

Project Dragonfly

INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 2

Abstract

Karst landscapes are home to fragile cave formations and a variety of specialized organisms.

These ecosystems are easily impacted by activities above ground through actions such as improper waste disposal, factory effluent, and construction. However, much of the surrounding human population in areas is unaware of how interconnected they are with the habitats below them. Hidden River Cave and the American Cave Conservation Association in Horse

Cave, Kentucky have made it their mission to conserve the karst ecosystems in the central

Kentucky region. Since the 1980’s they have been involved in many clean-up projects and education programs rooted in the foundation of cave conservation. One of their most recent ventures included the first ever Earth Day event held at the cave grounds. During this event

Franklin Simpson High School students (Franklin, Kentucky) were involved in leading hands-on activities related to cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations. The goal of this study was to compare these students’ attitudes towards cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations before and after their participation in the event.

Likert-type survey data showed that, in comparison to a group of non-volunteer control students, the volunteer cave students showed a statistically significant increase in attitudes in 8 of 10 survey questions related to cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations.

INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 3

Introduction

Karst landscapes make up almost 25% of the earth’s surface, including one fifth of the

United States (Veni et al., 2001; Harley et al., 2010). Karst landscapes are formed as slightly acidified groundwater dissolves bedrock, forming , , , caverns, springs and other similar features. This is typical in regions where the bedrock is formed from limestone, dolomite, marble, gypsum, or salt (Veni et al., 2001). Kentucky holds a portion of the

United States’ vast karst systems. Not only is it home to the world’s longest cave, Mammoth

Cave, it is known for numerous other caves, sinkholes, and springs. Many people are aware of these systems throughout the United States and the world, but few understand the biological and ecological importance of these resource rich systems, and know even less about how they are interconnected with karst formations.

Karst landscapes create specialized habitats for unique animals such as blind fish, crayfish, and salamanders, arthropods, and bats (Struebig et al., 2009). However, because these ecosystems are home to such specialized species, they are easily susceptible to aboveground activities. Even the smallest changes in water pH, water temperature, air temperature, and the presence of foreign substances can greatly impact cave biodiversity. These factors can also be detrimental to natural cave formations (Veni et al., 2001). The American Cave Conservation,

Inc. (n.d.) writes, “Many of the adverse impacts of land use on karst and cave resources are unintentional and result from lack of basic knowledge about how karstlands and caves function and interact.” It is because of the complexity and importance of these systems that scientists have been able to use them as a means of studying the development and evolution of various ecosystems, as as design more affective land development and protection plans (Veni et al.,

2001). INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 4

Karst formations have also become a major source of income for communities throughout the world. As nature-based tourism proves to be a cost-effective means of recreation, communities based in karst regions benefit from visitors hoping to enjoy the beauty these areas hold, or the thrill that gives (Marzuki et al., 2011; Marin et al., 2012). Many regions laden with karst formations have opened up parks, such as Mammoth Cave National Park in

Kentucky. These parks not only provide a means of recreation, but aim to educate the community on cave formation and conservation. Myers, Myers, and Hudson (2009) explain that visitors are more likely to increase their knowledge and conservation actions when they participate in inquiry investigations and participatory education activities.

Hidden River Cave in Horse Cave, Kentucky, home of the American Cave Conservation

Association (ACCA) has grounded itself in conservation and education. Hidden River Cave is located in the Mammoth Cave region in Central Kentucky. What is now a well-established tourist destination and educational center was once the one of the worst examples of ground water pollution in the United States (Lewis, 1993). Until the 1980’s, homes and industries used sinkholes throughout the area as natural dumping grounds of any unwanted waste- everything from boats and cars to everyday garbage, swage, and factory effluent. The river that ran through the cave became toxic, turning yellow and green. On warm days the stench from the river filled the small community (Shipley, 2001). Unbeknownst to the community, they were detrimentally polluting their water supply and severely upsetting the fragile ecosystem beneath them. The

ACCA started its operation in Horse Cave in 1986, and with the help of the EPA and Mammoth

Cave National Park, a multi-million dollar clean-up began (Yocum, 1993). Today the cave system is flourishing, and the ACCA “is committed to providing personally useful education for INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 5

those who live in, use, and enjoy karstlands and their resources” (American Cave Conservation,

Inc., n.d.).

Given that Hidden River Cave is grounded in strong educational values, it is a perfect avenue to involve students and community members in participatory education in order to increase their knowledge of and attitude towards karst systems and conservation. Franklin

Simpson High School (Franklin, Kentucky) students were invited by the educational director of

Hidden River Cave to lead hands-on educational centers at the cave and adjacent museum during an all new Earth Day event at the cave. Myers et al. (2009) discusses the importance of inquiry based exhibits on visitor engagement and understanding in the science field, as well as the positive effects of behavior change on the people who actively participate in the production of such activities. Fischer (2001) explains “learning new skills and acquiring new knowledge cannot be restricted to formal educational settings. By integrating working and learning, people learn within the context of their work on real-world problems.” The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of students’ participation in the Earth Day event at Hidden River Cave on their attitudes towards cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations; in hopes that an increase in attitudes would lead the students to become more inclined to involve themselves in activities that would help protect the biodiversity of caves.

Methods

Pre-Event

The first phase of this study was to gather information on the students’ attitudes towards cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations the event. The focus of this study is on the attitudes of the students enrolled in the AP Environmental Science, AP

Chemistry, and AP Biology classes at Franklin Simpson High School in Franklin, Kentucky. INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 6

There are a total of 28 students enrolled in one or more of the classes. Prior to the Earth Day event at Hidden River Cave, students were given a 10 question Likert-type attitude survey, developed specifically for this study, in order to get a base recording of their attitudes. This was given to all students enrolled, regardless if they were planning on attending the event or not. The questions included:

(1) Caves are a diverse and complex ecosystem.

(2) I have a direct impact on cave biodiversity.

(3) Caves have a direct impact on my life.

(4) I would be willing to change some of my daily behaviors in order to help cave

systems.

(5) There are organisms within cave ecosystems that are threatened or have gone extinct.

(6) I have sufficient enough understanding of karst (cave, , etc.) systems that I

would feel comfortable teaching it to someone else.

(7) Overall, people in our region have a good understanding of karst systems.

(8) People should not enter caves for purposes other than conservation.

(9) It is important for people to do their part to conserve nature.

(10) People in our region have sufficient knowledge on how to conserve natural habitats

locally.

Each question used a 1-5 Likert-type Scale, 1- Strongly Disagree, 2- Disagree, 3- Unsure, 4-

Agree, 5-Strongly Agree. Students were given the survey and asked to label it with their birthday so that it remained anonymous while keeping the ability to compare pre and post results.

Surveys were then collected and entered into a spreadsheet in order to be analyzed at the end of the study. INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 7

In the days prior to the event, students and instructors worked together to plan the education centers that would be used during the event. These lessons include “Clay Caves”, focusing on cave formation; “Fabulous Fossils”, an activity on fossil formation and its relationship with caves; an activity on sinkholes, ground water, and ground water pollution; “The

Web of Life”, an activity on food webs within caves; “The Great Bat Quiz” a hands-on quiz on the role of bats in caves and how they are being affected by White Nose Bat Syndrome; and lastly a center including a “speliobox” where students and visitors get a closer understanding on how to cave in a safe and conservative manner.

During Event

Eleven students and one instructor traveled to Hidden River Cave on Saturday, April 26,

2014 to participate in the Earth Day event from 9:00am-2:00pm. Students were first shown around the cave grounds and talked with cave personnel about the history and biology of the cave, conservation efforts, and the importance of safe caving. Students also met with a representative from the local wastewater treatment facility, an ecology professor from Western

Kentucky University, and members of the Hart County 4H, who also had booths set up at the event. The cave director then met with the mayor of Horse Cave, Kentucky and the Hart County

Judge to sign an Environmental Education Proclamation. The students were invited to stand on the stage during the reading and signing of the proclamation. Students were then broken into groups of 2-3, briefed on each of the stations located around the cave grounds and assigned an activity station. During downtime students had the opportunity to visit the other stations to participate in the activities that they were not assigned to lead.

The event brought in roughly 75 visitors. Some visitors stopped strictly because of the event, others were there to take a cave tour and decided to visit the learning stations. When INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 8

visitors first arrived at the event they were given a “passport” and directed to visit each activity station where they would receive a stamp once they completed the activity. Passports were then collected to be entered into a drawing for a free Hidden River Cave t-shirt. Students at each station guided visitors through their activities, engaging them in the content.

Post-Event

At the conclusion of the event, students were issued the same survey they were given prior to the event and instructed to label it with their birthday. Students not present at the event were also given the post survey the next school day to act as a control group. The mean and standard deviation was found for each question, pre- and post-event for both the cave students and the control students. A T-test was also conducted to determine whether the change in attitudes before and after the event was statistically significant for both groups of students. Pre- event and post-event surveys for each student were then compared to see the effect of the program on their attitudes towards cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations.

Results

Prior to the event 28 students completed the attitude survey. After the event, the 11 students involved in the Earth Day event took the post survey, and the other 17 students took the final survey the next school day. Each of the ten questions used a 1-5 Likert-type scale to rank students attitudes towards cave biology and conservation where 1 represents Strongly Disagree,

2 Disagree, 3 Unsure, 4 Agree, and 5 Strongly Agree. The mean for each question was found, as well as the standard deviation. A two-tailed T-test was also conducted to determine if the changes in attitudes were statistically significant between the pre and post surveys for both INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 9

groups of students; p-values less than 0.05 show a statistical significance between pre- and post- event surveys (Table 1).

Table 1. The mean and standard deviation, in parenthesis, for each survey question, before and after the Earth Day event comparing the attitudes of students who participated in the cave, and those who did not. The p-value was also determined, values less than 0.05 are statically significant.

Pre Post Pre Post p p Cave Cave Control Control Question Cave Control 4.27 5.00 4.29 4.65 Caves are a diverse and complex ecosystem. 0.0039 0.1378 (0.65) (0.00) (0.85) (0.49)

3.09 4.45 3.47 3.94 I have a direct impact on cave biodiversity. 0.0024 0.1492 (0.94) (0.82) (1.12) (0.90)

3.09 4.36 2.88 3.35 Caves have a direct impact on my life. 0.0033 0.1345 (0.94) (0.50) (0.99) (1.06)

I would be willing to change some of my 3.55 4.36 3.76 3.53 0.0047 0.3322 daily behaviors in order to help cave systems. (0.52) (0.50) (0.83) (1.01)

There are organisms within cave ecosystems 4.36 5.00 4.47 4.59 0.0107 0.4962 that are threatened or have gone extinct. (0.67) (0.00) (0.87) (0.62) I have sufficient enough understanding of karst (cave, sinkhole, etc.) systems that I 2.55 4.36 2.06 2.41 0.0011 0.2313 would feel comfortable teaching it to (1.29) (0.67) (0.83) (1.06) someone else. Overall, people in our region have a good 2.27 2.55 2.12 2.41 0.4933 0.2636 understanding of karst systems. (0.65) (1.37) (0.93) (1.00) People should not enter caves for purposes 2.00 2.82 2.71 2.71 0.0425 1.0000 other than conservation. (1.00) (1.54) (1.05) (0.99)

It is important for people to do their part to 4.55 4.91 4.29 4.53 0.0379 0.3322 conserve nature. (0.52) (0.30) (0.92) (0.62) People in our region have sufficient 2.64 2.82 2.59 2.88 knowledge on how to conserve natural 0.5884 0.1724 (1.21) (1.25) (1.12) (0.93) habitats locally.

Caves are a diverse and complex ecosystem.

Prior to the event, both the volunteer (cave) students and the control students showed strong attitude towards the complexity of cave ecosystems; means of 4.27 and 4.29 respectively.

Both groups showed an increase in mean attitude after the event. However the cave students showed a greater increase, raising the mean to an attitude of 5.00 with a standard deviation of 0, INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 10

showing that all cave students strongly agreed with the statement. The p-value between sets of surveys for cave students showed to be 0.0039, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude, whereas the p-value for the control students was 0.1378, not statistically significant.

I have a direct impact on cave biodiversity.

Cave students initially showed a lower level of agreement, 3.09, than control students,

3.47, on whether they have an impact on cave biodiversity. However, the post-event results showed a greater increase in the attitudes of cave students, bringing their mean to 4.45, whereas control students’ mean attitude only rose to 3.94. The p-value for cave students was 0.0024, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.1492, not statistically significant.

Caves have a direct impact on my life.

Cave students and control students both showed an increase in agreement whether caves have a direct impact on their lives, 3.09 and 2.88 respectively. Again, cave students showed a greater increase of agreement after the event, moving to 4.36, whereas control students rose only to 3.35. The p-value for cave students was 0.0033, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.1345, not statistically significant.

I would be willing to change some of my daily behaviors in order to help cave systems.

Initially, control students showed a slightly higher level of agreement than cave students in that they would be willing to change some of their behaviors to help cave systems, 3.76 and

3.55 respectively. The post-event surveys showed an increase in cave students’ agreement to

4.36. However, the control students showed a decrease to 3.53. The p-value for cave students INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 11

was 0.0047, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.3322, not statistically significant.

There are organisms within cave ecosystems that are threatened or have gone extinct.

Both groups of students showed a relatively high level of agreement that there are threatened or endangered species in cave ecosystem. Post-survey results showed only a slight increase in control students, 4.47 to 4.59, whereas cave students’ agreement rose to 5.00 with a standard deviation of 0.00; all students strongly agreed with the statement. The p-value for cave students showed to be 0.0107, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.4962, not statistically significant.

I have sufficient enough understanding of karst (cave, sinkhole, etc.) systems that I would feel comfortable teaching it to someone else.

Pre-event surveys showed that neither group felt that they had enough understanding to teach it to someone else, 2.55 and 2.06 respectively. After the event, cave students showed a large increase, up to 4.36. Whereas control students showed only a slight increase, up to 2.41.

The p-value for cave students showed to be 0.0011, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.2313, not statistically significant.

Overall, people in our region have a good understanding of karst systems.

Both groups showed a low level of agreement that people in our region, South Central

Kentucky, have a good understanding of karst systems; cave students showed a mean of 2.27, and control students showed a mean of 2.12. After the event both groups showed only a small increase, 2.55 and 2.41 respectively. The p-value for cave students showed to be 0.4933, INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 12

showing that there was not a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.2636, also not statistically significant.

People should not enter caves for purposes other than conservation.

Again, both groups showed a low level of agreement that people should only enter caves for conservation purposes; cave students showed a mean of 2.00, and control students showed a mean of 2.71. After the event, cave students mean rose to 2.82, whereas control students remained the same. The p-value for cave students showed to be 0.0425, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 1.0, not statistically significant.

It is important for people to do their part to conserve nature.

Both cave students and control students showed a high level of agreement that it is important for people to do their part to conserve nature with means of 4.55 and 4.29 respectively.

Post survey results showed that both groups had a slight increase in agreement, 4.91 and 4.53 respectively. The p-valu for cave students showed to be 0.0379, showing that there was a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.3322, not statistically significant.

People in our region have sufficient knowledge on how to conserve natural habitats locally.

Both cave and control students showed a relatively low agreement that people in our region have sufficient knowledge on conserving local habitats, 2.64 and 2.59 respectively. Both groups showed only a slight increase after the event, up to 2.82 and 2.88 respectively. The p- value for cave students showed to be 0.5884, showing that there was not a statistically significant change in attitude; the p-value for the control students was 0.1724, also not statistically significant. INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 13

Discussion/Conclusion

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of students’ participation in the

Earth Day event at Hidden River Cave on their attitudes towards cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations; in hopes that an increase in attitudes would lead the students to become more inclined to involve themselves in activities that would help protect the biodiversity of caves. Their attitudes were measured using a 1-5 ranking Likert-type survey with

10 questions related to the themes. Students were surveyed before and after the event using the same questions. Responses from students who visited the cave were compared against responses from students who did not participate. Out of the ten questions used, only two questions did not show a statistically significant increase in attitudes, based on T-test results, from students who attended the event. None of questions showed a statistically significant increase in attitudes from the control group of students, the ones who did not attend.

Of the ten questions, the two that did not show a significant increase were related to how the students saw the people in our region’s attitudes about karst systems and conservation

(Overall, people in our region have a good understanding of karst systems; People in our region have sufficient knowledge on how to conserve natural habitats locally). One reason for this lack of increase, or decrease, in attitudes is that students had already designated it as a low agreement, and were not involved in activities at the event that would have affected their opinion on these questions. Another reason is that they may have witnessed that people within the region really did have a low understanding of these topics; therefore there would not be an increase in attitudes. These questions were also designed so that students may have already had a low level of agreement, whereas most of the other questions would expect a higher level of agreement. INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 14

Similar research related to increasing students’ attitudes through volunteering and/or hands-on learning (Hashimoto-Martell, McNeill, & Hoffman, 2012; Manzanal, Barreiro, &

Jimenez, 1999; Nates, Campos, & Lindemann-Matthies, 2012; Rosalino & Rosalino, 2012;

Tortop & Ozek, 2013) also showed an increase in attitudes through these types of experiences.

Nates, Campos, & Lindemann-Matthies (2012) argue that experiences such as this act as a mental foundation in which students can place the information into and recall on later. This allows for the conservation education message to be received and retained more easily than in traditional learning environments. Rosalino & Rosalino (2012) state “knowledge, which may be defined as the expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education, is usually a common factor associated with positive attitudes towards nature conservation.”

Provided that the control students, nor the cave students, had been involved with any extra classroom lessons on karst ecology between the survey time, it can be concluded that it was the experience at the cave that was the driving force behind the increase in positive attitudes in the cave students.

Students involved in the Earth Day event at Hidden River Cave showed a statistically significant increase in attitudes towards cave formation, biodiversity, and conservation of local karst formations in 8 out of 10 survey questions, whereas the control group did not show a statistically significant increase on any of the questions. It can be concluded that there was a positive correlation between their involvement in the event and their attitudes towards the topics of interest.

Next Steps/Reflection

Conducting this survey and being involved in the Earth Day program at Hidden River

Cave was a very eye opening experience for me. I strongly believe that I learned just as much, if INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 15

not more, about the cave, karst conservation, and community involvement within the cave as the students did. In the future I plan to continue my partnership with Hidden River Cave and the

American Cave Conservation Association. A fieldtrip is in the works to go back to the cave where the students will be involved in a water quality experiment, ecology/biodiversity experiment, and a “wild cave tour”. I plan to survey the students who acted as the original control group to see how this involvement changes their attitudes.

It is always difficult to judge how well a brand new program, like this Earth Day event, will go, especially when you are not the lead developer or publicists. However, the event was well accepted and had overall good responses from visitors and volunteers. My students were unsure of what they were getting themselves into, but their attitudes soon changed upon arrival and were genuinely excited throughout their time at the cave. In participating in an event like this in the future, I honestly would not change much; the students participated well and did a good job presenting to the visitors, we had appropriate materials and time, and all parties worked together well. However, in my research I would have a clearer means, upfront, of how I planned to use the data. For this study I felt that I was more concerned with how we would be involved rather than how I was going to present it. Using the data that I collected, it would be interesting to compare attitudes of groups of students, such as males verses females, or between grade levels, for future studies. Overall I feel that this was a successful partnership and showed how easily a group of people can have a change in attitudes by being involved with a conservation- based organization. INCREASING ATTITUDES TOWARDS CAVE CONSERVATION THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 16

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