Evaluation of Cave and Karst Programs and Issues at Us National Parks
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Living with Karst Booklet and Poster
Publishing Partners AGI gratefully acknowledges the following organizations’ support for the Living with Karst booklet and poster. To order, contact AGI at www.agiweb.org or (703) 379-2480. National Speleological Society (with support from the National Speleological Foundation and the Richmond Area Speleological Society) American Cave Conservation Association (with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and a Section 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Kentucky Division of Water) Illinois Basin Consortium (Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky State Geological Surveys) National Park Service U.S. Bureau of Land Management USDA Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Geological Survey AGI Environmental Awareness Series, 4 A Fragile Foundation George Veni Harvey DuChene With a Foreword by Nicholas C. Crawford Philip E. LaMoreaux Christopher G. Groves George N. Huppert Ernst H. Kastning Rick Olson Betty J. Wheeler American Geological Institute in cooperation with National Speleological Society and American Cave Conservation Association, Illinois Basin Consortium National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey ABOUT THE AUTHORS George Veni is a hydrogeologist and the owner of George Veni and Associates in San Antonio, TX. He has studied karst internationally for 25 years, serves as an adjunct professor at The University of Ernst H. Kastning is a professor of geology at Texas and Western Kentucky University, and chairs Radford University in Radford, VA. As a hydrogeolo- the Texas Speleological Survey and the National gist and geomorphologist, he has been actively Speleological Society’s Section of Cave Geology studying karst processes and cavern development for and Geography over 30 years in geographically diverse settings with an emphasis on structural control of groundwater Harvey R. -
Bats, White-Nose Syndrome, and Federal Cave and Mine Closures
BATS, WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME, AND FEDERAL CAVE AND MINE CLOSURES A report by the Center for Biological Diversity January 26, 2011 Cover photo: Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) in a New York cave, displaying characteristic fuzz of white-nose syndrome on nose and wings. Credit: Al Hicks, New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation For more information about this report, contact: Mollie Matteson, Conservation Advocate Center for Biological Diversity, Northeast Field Office PO Box 188 Richmond, Vermont 05477 802-434-2388 [email protected] Center for Biological Diversity, Federal Cave Closures 2 Bats, White-nose Syndrome, and Federal Cave and Mine Closures Delay is the deadliest form of denial. ~~C. Northcote Parkinson, British historian, 1909-1993 Executive Summary In the span of just four winters, a deadly new disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS) that devastates bat populations has spread rapidly across the country from east to west. The bat illness was first documented in a cave in upstate New York in 2006, and as of spring 2010, the white- nose pathogen had been reported as far west as western Oklahoma (see Figure 1). In affected bat colonies, mortality rates have reached as high as 100 percent, virtually emptying caves once harboring tens of thousands of bats and leaving cave floors littered with the innumerable small bones of the dead. At least six bat species are known to be susceptible, and the fungus associated with the disease has been found on another three species. Two federally listed endangered bat species are among those affected thus far. Scientists and conservationists are gravely concerned that if current trends continue, one or more bat species could become extinct in the next couple of decades or sooner. -
Paleoclimate Reconstruction in the Levant Region from the Petrography and the Geochemistry of a MIS 5 Stalagmite from the Kanaan
Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Clim. Past Discuss., 11, 3241–3275, 2015 www.clim-past-discuss.net/11/3241/2015/ doi:10.5194/cpd-11-3241-2015 © Author(s) 2015. CC Attribution 3.0 License. This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Climate of the Past (CP). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in CP if available. Paleoclimate reconstruction in the Levant region from the petrography and the geochemistry of a MIS 5 stalagmite from the Kanaan Cave, Lebanon C. Nehme1,2, S. Verheyden1,2, S. R. Noble3, A. R. Farrant4, J. J. Delannoy5, and P. Claeys2 1Department of Earth and History of Life, Royal Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium 2Analytical, Environmental & Geo-Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium 3British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK 4NERC Isotope Geochemistry Laboratory, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK 5Laboratoire EDYTEM UMR 5204 CNRS, Université de Savoie Mont-Blanc, Pôle Montagne, Bourget-du-Lac, France 3241 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Received: 17 June 2015 – Accepted: 25 June 2015 – Published: 17 July 2015 Correspondence to: C. Nehme ([email protected]) Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. 3242 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Abstract Lying at the transition between the temperate Mediterranean domain and subtropical deserts, the Levant is a key area to study the palaeoclimatic response over glacial- interglacial cycles. This paper presents a precisely dated last interglacial (MIS 5) sta- 5 lagmite (129–84 ka) from the Kanaan Cave, Lebanon. -
YGLC Info for Cavers FINAL1~09
www.caves.org Youth Group Caving Legal Issues and General Information for the Experienced Caver Prepared by the Youth Groups Liaison Committee of the National Speleological Society and NSS members Introduction Make a difference Have you ever met an ill-equipped youth group in a cave that exceeded the group's skill level? You may have encountered a cave being vandalized by youths who didn't know any better. Do you think caves would benefit from more professionals in cave management and the cave-related sciences? By working with youth groups who plan to go caving, you can have a positive effect in all of these areas. Not only can you provide a quality caving experience for the youths, but most importantly, you can also instill in them sound principles for safe caving, as well as a good conservation ethic. You can be the one who infuses them with an appreciation for the value of caves and their contents that they will carry with them into adulthood. It is these youths who will be making decisions that will affect caves and cave areas in the future. A very good way to accomplish this is by working through national youth organizations. Girl Scouts USA, Boy Scouts of America, 4-H, church youth groups, youth summer camps, schools, and at-risk youth groups provide the framework that makes educating young people about caves and caving easier and safer for all. Some cavers really enjoy working with youth. Guiding a well-trained and well- behaved youth group through a cave can be a highly rewarding experience. -
English / French
World Heritage 38 COM WHC-14/38.COM/8B Paris, 30 April 2014 Original: English / French UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE Thirty-eighth session Doha, Qatar 15 – 25 June 2014 Item 8 of the Provisional Agenda: Establishment of the World Heritage List and of the List of World Heritage in Danger 8B. Nominations to the World Heritage List SUMMARY This document presents the nominations to be examined by the Committee at its 38th session (Doha, 2014). It is divided into four sections: I Changes to names of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List II Examination of nominations of natural, mixed and cultural properties to the World Heritage List III Statements of Outstanding Universal Value of the three properties inscribed at the 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013) and not adopted by the World Heritage Committee IV Record of the physical attributes of each property being discussed at the 38th session The document presents for each nomination the proposed Draft Decision based on the recommendations of the appropriate Advisory Body(ies) as included in WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B1 and WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B2 and it provides a record of the physical attributes of each property being discussed at the 38th session. The information is presented in two parts: • a table of the total surface area of each property and any buffer zone proposed, together with the geographic coordinates of each site's approximate centre point; and • a set of separate tables presenting the component parts of each of the 16 proposed serial properties. -
Cultural Resources Overview Desert Peaks Complex of the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument Doña Ana County, New Mexico
Cultural Resources Overview Desert Peaks Complex of the Organ Mountains – Desert Peaks National Monument Doña Ana County, New Mexico Myles R. Miller, Lawrence L. Loendorf, Tim Graves, Mark Sechrist, Mark Willis, and Margaret Berrier Report submitted to the Wilderness Society Sacred Sites Research, Inc. July 18, 2017 Public Version This version of the Cultural Resources overview is intended for public distribution. Sensitive information on site locations, including maps and geographic coordinates, has been removed in accordance with State and Federal antiquities regulations. Executive Summary Since the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) in 1966, at least 50 cultural resource surveys or reviews have been conducted within the boundaries of the Desert Peaks Complex. These surveys were conducted under Sections 106 and 110 of the NHPA. More recently, local avocational archaeologists and supporters of the Organ Monument-Desert Peaks National Monument have recorded several significant rock art sites along Broad and Valles canyons. A review of site records on file at the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division and consultations with regional archaeologists compiled information on over 160 prehistoric and historic archaeological sites in the Desert Peaks Complex. Hundreds of additional sites have yet to be discovered and recorded throughout the complex. The known sites represent over 13,000 years of prehistory and history, from the first New World hunters who gazed at the nighttime stars to modern astronomers who studied the same stars while peering through telescopes on Magdalena Peak. Prehistoric sites in the complex include ancient hunting and gathering sites, earth oven pits where agave and yucca were baked for food and fermented mescal, pithouse and pueblo villages occupied by early farmers of the Southwest, quarry sites where materials for stone tools were obtained, and caves and shrines used for rituals and ceremonies. -
Speleogenesis and Delineation of Megaporosity and Karst
Stephen F. Austin State University SFA ScholarWorks Electronic Theses and Dissertations 12-2016 Speleogenesis and Delineation of Megaporosity and Karst Geohazards Through Geologic Cave Mapping and LiDAR Analyses Associated with Infrastructure in Culberson County, Texas Jon T. Ehrhart Stephen F. Austin State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds Part of the Geology Commons, Hydrology Commons, and the Speleology Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Repository Citation Ehrhart, Jon T., "Speleogenesis and Delineation of Megaporosity and Karst Geohazards Through Geologic Cave Mapping and LiDAR Analyses Associated with Infrastructure in Culberson County, Texas" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 66. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/66 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Speleogenesis and Delineation of Megaporosity and Karst Geohazards Through Geologic Cave Mapping and LiDAR Analyses Associated with Infrastructure in Culberson County, Texas Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This thesis is available at SFA ScholarWorks: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/66 Speleogenesis and Delineation of Megaporosity and Karst Geohazards Through Geologic Cave Mapping and LiDAR Analyses Associated with Infrastructure in Culberson County, Texas By Jon Ehrhart, B.S. Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Stephen F. Austin State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Science STEPHEN F. -
Sinkhole Physical Models to Simulate and Investigate Sinkhole Collapses
SINKHOLE PHYSICAL MODELS TO SIMULATE AND INVESTIGATE SINKHOLE COLLAPSES Mohamed Alrowaimi Doctoral Student, Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Florida, 32816, USA, [email protected] Hae-Bum Yun Assistant professor, Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Florida, 32816, USA, [email protected] Manoj Chopra Professor, Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central Florida 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Florida, 32816, USA, [email protected] Abstract Introduction Florida is one of the most susceptible states for sinkhole Sinkhole is a ground surface depression that occurs with collapses due to its karst geology. In Florida, sinkholes or without any surface indication. Sinkholes commonly are mainly classified as cover subsidence sinkholes that occur in a very distinctive terrain called karst terrain. result in a gradual collapse with possible surface signs, This terrain mainly has a bedrock of a carbonate rocks and cover collapse sinkholes, which collapse in a sudden such as limestone, dolomite, or gypsum. Sinkholes and often catastrophic manner. The future development develop when the carbonate bedrocks are subjected of a reliable sinkhole prediction system will have to dissolution with time to form cracks, conduits, and the potential to minimize the risk to life, and reduce cavities in the underground bedrock. These features delays in construction due to the need for post-collapse allow the overburden soils (on top of the carbonate remediation. In this study, different versions of small- bedrock) to transport through them to the underground scale sinkhole physical models experimentally used cavities, which results in surface collapse due to the to monitor the water levels in a network of wells. -
Environmental Change at Kartchner Caverns: Trying to Separate Natural and Anthropogenic Changes
Environmental Change at Kartchner Caverns: Trying to Separate Natural and Anthropogenic Changes Rickard S. Toomey, III, and Ginger Nolan Kartchner Caverns State Park, Arizona State Parks, Benson, AZ Abstract—Cave temperature and moisture levels are important factors in the environmental health of Kartchner Caverns. Monitoring indicates the cave has warmed and moisture levels have fallen over the past 14 years. Timing and patterns of change within the cave suggest that changes are due to development as a show cave. However, changes in other caves, surface temperature and precipitation, and in shallow local aquifers suggest that cave changes relate to regional patterns. Changes at Kartchner Caverns represent a combination of anthropogenic and regional natural causes. Separating these different factors is an important on-going goal in protecting the cave. Kartchner Caverns State Park (KCSP) is a show cave in The primary long-term temperature and humidity data southeastern Arizona. The cave was discovered in 1974 and from the cave come from Environmental Monitoring Stations became a State Park in 1988 (Tufts and Tenen 1999). After (EMS) within the cave (figure 1). These are locations at pre-development studies to assess the condition of the cave, which air, water, and soil temperature, relative humidity, to establish baseline data, and to determine how best to de- and pan evaporation are measured manually on a periodic velop the cave, Arizona State Parks began development of basis, usually weekly or monthly. Temperatures are measured the cave for ecological education and tourism. The develop- with small, digital probe thermometers; relative humidity is ment included creating tunnel entrances to the cave, building measured using a digital probe thermometer equipped as a trails for tours, and installing a lighting system. -
Bosnia and Herzegovina
FIFTH NATIONAL REPORT TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA May, 2014 BASIC INFORMATION Project Title Support to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Revision of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP BiH) and Development of the Fifth National Report to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) Project Acronym NBSAP BiH Project Duration Period January 2013 – December 2014 GEF Implementation United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP Agency GEF Operational Focal Point Senad Oprašić, PhD, Head of the Environmental Protection for Bosnia and Herzegovina Department at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MoFTER BiH) UNCBD Focal Point for BiH Mehmed Cero, M. Sc., Assistant Minister in the Environment Sector of the FBiH Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MoET FBiH) 2 Client: FBiH Ministry of Environment and Tourism Supported by: United Nations Environment Programme – UNEP External Associate Experts: Senka Barudanović Stjepan Matić Radoslav Dekić Dragojla Golub Consultant: Centre for Energy, Environment and Resources (CENER 21) Translation and Proofreading: Gordana Lonco Edina Dmitrović Graphic Design: Tarik Hodžić 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to thank the following institutions for the support that they provided in the development of the Fifth National Report to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and through their participation in workshops, provision of data, information, comments and suggestions: Aarhus Centre -
Hotspots of Subterranean Biodiversity in Caves and Wells
David C. Culver and Boris Sket - Hotspots of Subterranean Biodiversity in Caves and Wells. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 62(1):11-17. HOTSPOTS OF SUBTERRANEAN BIODIVERSITY IN CAVES AND WELLS DAVID C. CULVER Department of Biology, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA, [email protected] BORIS SKET Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, P.O. Box 2995, 1001 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA, [email protected] We documented 18 caves and two karst wells that have 20 or more stygobites and troglobites. Crustacea dominated the aquatic fauna. Taxonomic composition of the terrestrial fauna varied, but Arachnida and Insecta together usually dominated. Geographically, the sites were concentrated in the Dinaric Karst (6 caves). Sites tended to have high primary productivity or rich organic input from the surface, be large caves, or have permanent groundwater (phreatic water). Dokumentirala sva 18 jam in dva kraška vodnjaka, iz katerih je znanih 20 ali vec vrst troglobiontov in stigobiontov. V vodni favni preladujejo raki. Taksonomski sestav kopenske favne je raznolik, vendar pajkovci in zuzelke skupaj navadno prevladujejo. Najvec takšnih jam (šest) je v Dinarskem krasu. Nadpovprecno so zastopane jame z lastno primarno produkcijo ali bogatim vnosom hrane s površja, obsezne jame in jame, ki vkljucujejo tudi freatsko plast. Over the past few years, there has been a growing aware- terns at individual sites. Even though most subterranean bio- ness and concern with biodiversity worldwide. Books and diversity results from the accumulation of different species monographs with a focus on biodiversity have appeared (e.g., from nearby sites, there are some outstanding examples of high Wilson 1992; Master et al. -
Animacy, Symbolism, and Feathers from Mantle's Cave, Colorado By
Animacy, Symbolism, and Feathers from Mantle's Cave, Colorado By Caitlin Ariel Sommer B.A., Connecticut College 2006 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology 2013 This thesis entitled: Animacy, Symbolism, and Feathers from Mantle’s Cave, Colorado Written by Caitlin Ariel Sommer Has been approved for the Department of Anthropology Dr. Stephen H. Lekson Dr. Catherine M. Cameron Sheila Rae Goff, NAGPRA Liaison, History Colorado Date__________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. Abstract Sommer, Caitlin Ariel, M.A. (Anthropology Department) Title: Animacy, Symbolism, and Feathers from Mantle’s Cave, Colorado Thesis directed by Dr. Stephen H. Lekson Rediscovered in the 1930s by the Mantle family, Mantle’s Cave contained excellently preserved feather bundles, a feather headdress, moccasins, a deer-scalp headdress, baskets, stone tools, and other perishable goods. From the start of excavations, Mantle’s Cave appeared to display influences from both Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan peoples, leading Burgh and Scoggin to determine that the cave was used by Fremont people displaying traits heavily influenced by Basketmaker peoples. Researchers have analyzed the baskets, cordage, and feather headdress in the hopes of obtaining both radiocarbon dates and clues as to which culture group used Mantle’s Cave. This thesis attempts to derive the cultural influence of the artifacts from Mantle’s Cave by analyzing the feathers.