Foundation Document Overview, Wind Cave

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National Park Service Description of U.S. Department of the Interior Wind Cave National Park Wind Cave National Park Wind Cave National Park protects one of the world’s longest South Dakota and most complex caves along with 33, 851 acres of mixed- grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest, and associated wildlife. The cave is well known for its outstanding display of boxwork, an unusual cave formation composed of thin calcite fins resembling honeycombs. The park’s mixed-grass prairie is part of a shrinking national native grassland resource and is home to native wildlife such as bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets. The park is located in the Black Hills and has a complex and changing history of human occupation extending back centuries to prehistoric times.

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To To or write to: Hot Springs Hot Springs CONTACT INFORMATION North 0 1 2 Kilometers Superintendent 0 1 2 Miles For more information about the 26611 Highway 385 Wind Cave National Park Foundation Document, Hot Springs, SD 57747-9430 contact: Park Headquarters 605-745-4600 or www.nps.gov/wica

FOLD Purpose Significance Fundamental Resources Other and Values Resources and Values

Significance statements express why the park’s resources Fundamental resources and values are those that warrant primary The other resources and values of Wind Cave National and values are important enough to warrant national park consideration during planning and management because they Park are system designation. These statements are directly related to are critical to achieving the park’s purpose and maintaining its • Origin Story. Some Great Plains tribes consider Wind Cave the park’s purpose, are substantiated by data or consensus, significance. Fundamental resources and values may include the place where their ancestors emerged from the earth, and and reflect the most current scientific or scholarly inquiry and features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, etc. If the where the bison, which they depended on for sustenance, cultural perceptions, which may have changed since the park’s fundamental resources and values are degraded, the purpose of the also emerged. establishment. park and its significance are jeopardized. • Viewsheds/Vistas. The viewshed and unobstructed The fundamental resources and values of Wind Cave National Exceptional Cave Feature. Wind Cave is one of the longest, long vistas of the park provide a backdrop for viewing Park are oldest, and most complex caves in the world and contains the the extraordinary abundance of native animal and plant largest concentration of boxwork, a rare cave formation first • Cave and Karst Features. More than 134 miles of passages communities. From them, a visitor can visualize the park described at Wind Cave. have been explored and mapped at Wind Cave, yet studies as it might have appeared in prehistoric times, before the Paleokarst Geology. Wind Cave is one of the best places in the suggest this is only a fraction of the cave’s potential extent. advent of modern development. world to view remnants of ancient sediment-filled caves Ongoing surveys are documenting an average of 2-4 more • Solitude/Soundscapes. Wind Cave provides exceptional The purpose of Wind Cave (i.e., paleokarst). miles of previously unknown passages each year. Over 43 opportunities for natural sounds and silence, and visitors known backcountry caves exist within the park as well. The National Park is to protect the A Spirtual Landscape. Wind Cave is considered a sacred site can readily find such places within the park to experience sheer magnitude of the cave system rivals that found anywhere for many American Indian tribes. This setting gives a sense of life solitude and reflection. unique Wind Cave resources else in the world. and spirituality that fosters respect, cultural understanding, and • Paleontology. The park contains significant paleontological and preserve and enhance the an appreciation for the diverse cultures that have cared for this • Native Wildlife. Wind Cave National Park is the only place in resources spanning the geologic record from the Paleozoic mixed-grass prairie and native special place. the world with a cohabitating/coexisting resident community to the Holocene (360 million to 2000 years ago). of pronghorn, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, prairie dogs, • Archeology. Many archeological sites exist within the park, wildlife, while providing for the Native Wildlife. Wind Cave National Park supports one of mountain lion, endangered black-footed ferret, and genetically including one of the oldest archeological rock shelter sites enjoyment of the public. the most intact prairie wildlife communities in North America, diverse and brucellosis-free American bison. Through the in the Black Hills, dating back nearly 7,000 years. with pronghorn, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, prairie dogs, efforts of park management, these animals are important to the mountain lion, endangered black-footed ferret, and genetically ecosystem and through their existence they continue to figure • Historic Structures and Cultural Landscapes. Wind diverse and brucellosis-free American bison. as an important part of Indian American tradition and stories. Cave National Park protects 29 structures listed in the national register, most of which comprise the Wind Cave Black Hills/Prairie Edge. Wind Cave National Park supports • Native Vegetation (Mixed-Grass Prairie Communities). Administrative and Utility Area Historic District. one of the last remaining examples of mixed-grass prairie, The park is exceptional as it includes a transition zone of ponderosa pine, and riparian plant communities found in the complex and diverse ecosystems from the Black Hills to the Black Hills. Great Plains. The ability of mixed-grass prairie, ponderosa pine, and riparian plant communities to function under natural Exceptional Natural Settings. Wind Cave National Park processes and over a large area is rare. provides one of the most expansive unobstructed beautiful natural vistas, night skies, and natural soundscapes found in the • Water Resources Including Hydrology. The interaction of Black Hills region. surface and subsurface water flows are vital to the biodiversity within Wind Cave, and are not yet fully understood. Fluctuations within the water table and surface drainage patterns are complex and greatly influence associated ecosystems. • Exploration and Discovery of Wind Cave. The first systematic explorer of Wind Cave, Alvin McDonald, set into motion a chain of events that eventually led to later exploration efforts, and eventually to the establishment of the first national park to protect a cave. Recreational and scientific exploration of the cave by both visitors and staff continues to this day. Purpose Significance Fundamental Resources Other and Values Resources and Values