What's so important about caves? Caves are home, habitat, and haven for a surprising abundance of fragile resources. Resources found within compose a subterranean world of fragile life, rare habitat, and exceptional speleothems (cave formations). These special under-Earth realms, both visible and microscopic, have evolved and formed over time, protected within the walls of caves. These underground environments serve as archival vaults, protecting natural and cultural history.
Uniformed visitors can easily damage cave passages and irreplaceable spleen resources! Learn to cave safely and softly. Avoid making unnecessary impacts. Join us in discovering new ways to conserve caves and karst.
This session will include talks abut cave and karst conservation and management, minimum impact-science based decisions, stewardship, karst aquifer watershed protection, spelean habitat ecosystem findings, updates on bat studies, clean-caving ethics and low impact caving methods.
Also included are White Nose Syndrome decontamination systems and advancements in cave restoration and speleothem repair.
Session Moderator
Val Hildreth-Werker
NSS Conservation Division
Opens: Monday, March 1, 2021
Closes: Saturday, May 1, 2021
Notifications of Acceptance: Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Val Hildreth-Werker
Email: valhildrethwerker@caves.org
Link will be available here after the call for abstract submission date. Check back.
The James G. Mitchell Fund was established in 1965 and is maintained by contributions to the National Speleological Foundation. This award includes a cash award for the best scientific paper presented at the NSS Convention by a student member (or members) of the society. Eligible papers shall be judged by an interdisciplinary panel appointed by the Mitchell Award sub-committee chair. For consideration, contact sub-committee chair, Dr. Kathy Lavoie at award-mitchell@caves.org.
Weed lies along the boundary between two of California's northernmost geologic provinces: the Klamath Mountains and the High Cascades. Although underlain by different rock types (ancient crystalline rocks in the Klamath and young volcanic rocks in the Cascades) both provinces were formed by the same process: subduction.
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