[NMCAVER] [NM-Biodiversity] Field workshops on cave and karst science

Tue Mar 11 14:44:13 CDT 2008

             "cathryn_wild"                                                
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             03/11/2008 08:48                                      Subject 
             AM                        [NM-Biodiversity] Field workshops   
                                       on cave and karst science           

The Hoffman Environmental Research Institute, the Mammoth Cave
International Center for Science and Learning, and Western Kentucky
University would like to announce their 2008 Karst Field Studies classes.
These week-long field classes can be taken for academic credit
(undergraduate and graduate), for continuing education credits (CEU), or as
non-credit workshops. Complete information on the Karst Field Studies
program and the 2008 class offerings can be found at
http://caveandkarst.wku.edu/summerclasses.html

KARST ECOLOGY
Dates: June 1-7, 2008, Instructor: Dr. Horton Hobbs, Location: Mammoth Cave

Description: Caves and other subterranean voids are unique in that they
lack light and, therefore, most are not capable of producing food.
Consequently, these dark, energy poor, extreme environments impose a suite
of restrictions on cave fauna as well as the evolution of cave-adapted
organisms. The class will examine the cave productive surface world on the
dark, consumptive cave environment. Morning sessions will be interactive
lectures and afternoons and most evenings will be spent in the field,
observing surface and subsurface ecosystems of the Mammoth Cave System.
Small group mini-projects will be conducted utilizing the scientific method
to test hypotheses related to the ecology of caves. A "symposium" will be
presented. Participants should be in good physical condition and prepared
for strenuous activity above and below ground throughout the week.

CAVE & KARST RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Dates: June 15-21, 2008, Instructors: Joel Despain and Dr. Rick Toomey,
Location: Sequoia Kings Canyon National Park, California
Description: This intensive course includes practical and hands-on
instruction concerning cave management practices - AKA: "cave specialist
101". It is designed for state and federal land managers, private preserve
managers, and members of cave conservancies. The class will include three
field trips to examine relevant topics in context. Topics covered include
managing volunteers, cave gates, cave inventories and monitoring, cave
management plans, relevant laws, cave restoration, cave survey and new cave
discoveries, cave scientists and the manager, recreational cavers and much
more.

KARST GEOMORPHOLOGY
Dates: June 8-14, 2008, Instructors: Dr. Darryl Granger with Joe Meiman,
Location: Mammoth Cave
Description: This course will be an intensive study of karst landscapes and
will emphasize current thinking on the processes at work shaping them. We
are fortunate to have as our laboratory one of the great karst landscapes
of the world, and we will, therefore, be in a unique position to gain a
deep appreciation of these fantastic landscapes through a combination of
field and classroom study. The new view of the landscape provided by such a
study can be profoundly enriching, and indeed enhance the karst experience.
Because caves are a major element of the karst landscapes, both in terms of
process and of form, their origin and morphology will be a major emphasis.
Accordingly, we will spend a significant part of the week underground in
the Mammoth Cave System as well as other caves. At least one previous
course in geology is required, although appropriate concepts will be
reviewed. The course will involve strenuous cave trips and hiking;
therefore, participants must be in excellent physical condition

SPELEOLOGY
Dates: June 15-21, 2008, Instructor: Roger Brucker, Location: Mammoth Cave
Description: Caves and karst form through the interaction of groundwater
and rock. Caves are the home of many kinds of unique organisms and
ecosystems. Caves and karst have also greatly influenced human settlement
and activity. For these reasons, speleology, the science of caves, is an
incredibly interdisciplinary science that draws from geology, hydrology,
biology, climatology, physics, archaeology, paleontology, surveying, and
many other disciplines. Speleology depends on cave exploration and mapping,
and cave exploration benefits from clues derived from understanding
speleology. This course will provide an introduction to speleology through
a mix of classroom activities and field trips into rarely visited caves in
Mammoth Cave National Park.

KARST HYDROLOGY
Dates: June 16-21, 2008, Instructors: Dr. William White and Dr. Nicholas
Crawford, Location: Bowling Green, KY
Description: The hydrology of karst terrains is taught from the perspective
of integrated drainage basins. Discussion addresses karst landscapes, the
hydrogeology of karst aquifers, caves and their importance as records of
paleohydrology, karst water chemistry and its use in the analysis of flow
systems, water balance, and the physical environmental problems in karst.
The course deals with groundwater monitoring techniques, groundwater
tracers, and the movement of contaminants through karst aquifers. Field
exercises include qualitative and quantitative dye trace tests, and as
microgravity, electrical resistivity, color down-hole camera, and cave
radio techniques for locating caves for drilling monitoring wells in karst
aquifers. A primary objective of this course is to provide
"state-of-the-practice" instruction and "hands-on" experience for dealing
with groundwater problems of karst regions. Most participants in the course
are professional geologists and engineers employed by environmental
consulting firms or government agencies who take the course as a workshop.
However, undergraduate and graduate students also take the course for
credit.

CAVE SURVEYING & CARTOGRAPHY & GIS
Dates: June 15-21, 2008, Instructor: Pat Kambesis, Location: Mammoth Cave
Description: Cave survey is an important tool not only for cave exploration
but for the fundamental understanding and management of caves and karst
systems. This course will focus on in-cave data collection with an emphasis
on sketching and cave resource inventories. Techniques for collecting cave
survey and inventory databases will be examined with emphasis on obtaining
the most useful data in the field. Surface geophysical techniques pertinent
to locating and mapping caves (from the ground surface) will also be
taught. The class will learn methods to translate data into maps,
databases, digital
representations, and GIS formats that can be used for exploration, science,
and natural resource management purposes. Since field time will be spent
underground in the Mammoth Cave System and in nearby caves, participants
must be in good physical condition and prepared for strenuous activity each
day. This course is designed to accommodate a variety of backgrounds and
experience.
________________________________________________________
Shannon Trimboli, Education Program Specialist
The Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning is part of a
network of National Park Service-based research learning centers.
Research Learning Centers increase the effectiveness and communication of
research and science results in the national parks by:
- Facilitating use of parks for scientific inquiry.
- Supporting science-informed decision making.
- Communicating relevance of and providing access to research knowledge.
- Promoting resource stewardship though partnerships.

Mammoth Cave National Park
P.O. Box 7
Mammoth Cave, KY 42259
(270) 758-2422
shannon_trimboli at contractor.nps.gov

Geography/Geology Dept
Western Kentucky University
1 Big Red Way - EST 438
Bowling Green, KY 42101-1066
shannon.trimboli at wku.edu