How Did Max Kämper And Ed Bishop Survey Mammoth Cave?,
2013
Science and Resources Management, Mammoth Cave National Park
How Did Max Kämper And Ed Bishop Survey Mammoth Cave?, Rick Olson, Bernd Kliebhan, Rick Toomey
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Max Kämper made the first accurate map of Mammoth Cave showing approximately 35 miles of passages. His partner in surveying the cave was Ed Bishop, a capable caver and descendant of Stephen Bishop – the famous slave guide and explorer of Mammoth Cave. To be fair, Edmund Lee’s 1835 map was a reasonably accurate rendering of the known cave at that time, which was only 8 miles. The map is a beautiful piece of cartography, but somehow he measured Mammoth Dome as being 280 feet deep, which would put it below the level of Green River. As well, Black Snake …
History Of Crawling Tours At Mammoth Cave,
2013
Mammoth Cave National Park
History Of Crawling Tours At Mammoth Cave, Janet Bass Smith
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Currently three crawling tours are offered at Mammoth Cave: Wild Cave (six hours) for visitors ages sixteen and older, Introduction to Caving (three hours and 15 minutes) for visitors ages 10 and older (under 18 must be with an adult), and Trog (two hours and 30 minutes) for children only, ages eight through twelve. These tours are discussed in detail below. Maps for each tour are included at the end of the paper. This history relates the beginnings of each tour.
History Of Long Cave,
2013
Cave Research Foundation
History Of Long Cave, Stanley D. Sides, Norman L. Warnell
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
The story of Long Cave, later to become Grand Avenue Cave, is thoroughly intertwined in the rich history of saltpeter production and the show cave industry of Central Kentucky. The cave’s history parallels the early history of Mammoth Cave that is five miles away, the history of nearby Short Cave, and the development of Diamond Cave and Proctor Cave as show caves by the Proctor families. Today the cave is an important bat hibernaculum protected by the National Park Service. The cave is gated and locked, and entry is by research approval only.
Evaluation Of Stormwater Filters At Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, 2011-12,
2013
Tennessee State University
Evaluation Of Stormwater Filters At Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, 2011-12, Sean Mcmillian, Ashley West, David Solomon, Roger Diehl, Victor Roland, Irucka Embry, Rick Toomey
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Studies in the 1970s found potentially toxic levels of metals entering Mammoth Cave’s underground streams through storm recharge. Additional studies confirmed that stormwater from parking lots and buildings fl owed rapidly into critical cave habitats. The Park’s management responded to these findings by installing storm runoff filter systems on the most heavily used parking lots in 2001. The Park entered an agreement (2010-12) with Tennessee State University, the USGS, and WKU-Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning to evaluate the filter systems to determine if they were removing hazardous compounds from stormwater runoff . The objective of this study …
Lidar: A Multi-Application Management Tool,
2013
North Carolina State University
Lidar: A Multi-Application Management Tool, John Wall, Hugh Devine, George Crothers, Justin Shedd
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
The amount of information contained within LiDAR is enormous as to its potential. Applications and management objectives that a single LiDAR dataset can address span everything from natural resources to fire research to archaeology. This presentation will discuss the LiDAR acquired for Mammoth Cave National Park, initial processing methods and derived products (to date). Different algorithms were deployed depending on the intent of the management objective. Natural Resources wanted to expand their polygon vegetation dataset, creating a 3-D vegetation map. Fire Management wanted to quantify the fuel loading across the park; therefore a baseline fuels map was developed. Cultural Resources …
Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Mammoth Cave National Park’S Oak-Hickory Vegetation,
2013
Barrens to Bayous Fire Monitoring Network, Natchez Trace Parkway Fire Management Team
Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Mammoth Cave National Park’S Oak-Hickory Vegetation, Jesse A. Burton
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Mammoth Cave National Park contains a spectacular suite of plant communities; many of which are dependent on wildland fire as a disturbance process for their preservation. Over a third of the park is dominated by oak-hickory forests and woodlands. Fire is a fundamental process in the development and maintenance of this important community type. Since the park’s first prescribed fire in 2002, 16,700 acres of forest, woodlands, and barrens have been treated with prescribed fire. Initial goals for the prescribed fires were to reduce the density of tree saplings in the understory and increase the cover of herbaceous herbs in …
The Mammoth Eagle: The Ccc Era At Mammoth Cave,
2013
Northern Kentucky University
The Mammoth Eagle: The Ccc Era At Mammoth Cave, David H. Kime
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Today’s visitors to Mammoth Cave National Park sleep in cabins, drive over roads, and hike on miles of surface and cave trail constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and others during the 1930s and 40s to create Mammoth Cave National Park. While this was without question a difficult transition for the residents and region, the work completed during this time is nothing short of monumental. Compiling information from archives, oral histories, and camp newspapers, as well as field observations, this presentation will shed light on several forgotten or misunderstood stories from this period in Mammoth Cave history. The creation …
Archaeological Evidence Of Historic Mining At Forestville Saltpeter Cave (15ht94), Hart County, Kentucky,
2013
Western Kentucky University
Archaeological Evidence Of Historic Mining At Forestville Saltpeter Cave (15ht94), Hart County, Kentucky, Darlene Applegate, Emily L. Duke
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Forestville Saltpeter Cave is 1.5 km east of Mammoth Cave National Park on the WKU Green River Preserve. Historically, miners removed sediment from the cave to extract saltpeter for the production of gunpowder. Though dozens of peter-mining sites are known in western Kentucky, Forestville Saltpeter Cave is only the third site investigated by archaeologists. Intensive surface survey documented evidence of mining activity in the cave: working bays, rock piles, tally and other marks, tool marks, inscriptions, and lighting material. The mining likely occurred during the early nineteenth century. The operations were extensive throughout all passages and extracted 856 cu m …
From Board Games To Tobacco Products: U.S. Patents Related To Mammoth Cave,
2013
Western Kentucky University
From Board Games To Tobacco Products: U.S. Patents Related To Mammoth Cave, Margaret M. Gripshover
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
The archives of the U.S. Patent Office off er a unique window into the location, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of millions of inventors. What might the Patent Office records tell us about Mammoth Cave? A search of patents issued since 1836 resulted in 34 inventions that mention Mammoth Cave in their descriptions. Of these 34 patents, four were for technical aspects of cave environments such as ventilation, six were games or educational products, and 23 were related to Mammoth Cave Twist, a brand of chewing tobacco. The first Mammoth Cave-related patent was granted in 1915 for a board game and …
Remote Sensing Of Forest Trends At Mammoth Cave National Park From 2000 To 2011,
2013
Western Kentucky University
Remote Sensing Of Forest Trends At Mammoth Cave National Park From 2000 To 2011, Sean Taylor Hutchinson, John All
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
The influence of climate change and other environmental stressors on the health of midlatitude forests is an important, yet understudied topic for resource managers. Using vegetation indices derived from satellite remote sensing, slight changes in photosynthetic activity can be detected at the spatial scales needed for long-term forest monitoring. This study used remote sensing and geographic information systems to track the photosynthetic activity within Mammoth Cave National Park from 2000 to 2011. Relationships are examined between climate variables and the vegetation indices for the forest as a whole and at selected areas within the park.
2011 Vegetation Map For Mammoth Cave National Park,
2013
Science and Resources Management, Mammoth Cave National Park
2011 Vegetation Map For Mammoth Cave National Park, Rick Olson, Lillian Scoggins, Rick Toomey, Jesse Burton
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
An accuracy assessment on a 2009 Vegetation Map of Mammoth Cave National Park produced by University of Georgia indicated inadequate reliability. As well, there were significant polygon boundary errors and unclassified polygons left blank on the map. With pressing need for a vegetation map to support the park’s Fire Management Plan (FMP), a derivative of the 2008 Landfire map was produced. Specifically, 24 categories were regrouped into 4 vegetation categories useful for the FMP. Barrens and Prairie Plantation categories were added as superimposed polygons, and the same approach was taken for both fire and storm-linked forest canopy gaps. Accuracy assessment …
Ozone And Foliar Injury At Mammoth Cave National Park,
2013
Cumberland Piedmont Network, National Park Service
Ozone And Foliar Injury At Mammoth Cave National Park, Johathan Jernigan
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Ozone is harmful to both visitors and plants in NPS units. The Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) has been monitoring ozone and its associated foliar injury since 2008. The goal is to determine if ozone concentrations are high enough to cause injury to plants and whether that injury is actually occurring. Each year, ozone monitoring and foliar injury surveys are completed at two CUPN parks. Further, foliar injury surveys are completed every year at Mammoth Cave NP (and ozone data are collected annually by the park and its partners). Summarized data from 2008 through 2012 will be presented. The relationship between …
Maps (Monitoring Avian Productivity And Survivorship),
2013
Science and Resources Management, Mammoth Cave National Park
Maps (Monitoring Avian Productivity And Survivorship), Brice Leech
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
The Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) Program comprises a continent-wide network of hundreds of constant-effort mist netting stations. Analyses of the resulting banding data provide critical information relating to the ecology, conservation, and management of North American landbird populations, and the factors responsible for changes in their populations. MAPS is coordinated by the Institute for Bird Populations which also conducts winter monitoring programs MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal) in the Neotropics & MAWS (Monitoring Avian Winter Survival) program in temperate North America.
Seasonal Occurrence And Habitat Affi Liations Of Trichoptera At Mammoth Cave National Park,
2013
University of Kentucky
Seasonal Occurrence And Habitat Affi Liations Of Trichoptera At Mammoth Cave National Park, Luke E. Dodd, Michael A. Floyd, David A. Etnier
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
The order Trichoptera is an ecologically-important, diverse group of insects. We investigated the relative abundance and occurrence of these insects at Mammoth Cave National Park (MCNP). We focused our efforts on adults captured at blacklight traps placed across four forest habitats in MCNP on 14 nights during 2010-2011. Large-bodied Trichoptera (≥ 10 mm in length) were identified and enumerated, yielding 2,153 specimens of ≥ 45 species and 11 families. Unique captures were recorded at mixed deciduous-dominated, mixed coniferdominated, and upland deciduous sites (13, 4, and 3 species, respectively). While composition of the assemblage varied across collection sites, as well as …
The Cave Beetle Neaphaenops Tellkampfi Erichson: Relationships Within And Among Related Genera Using Molecular Data,
2013
Western Kentucky University
The Cave Beetle Neaphaenops Tellkampfi Erichson: Relationships Within And Among Related Genera Using Molecular Data, T. Keith Philips, Elise Valkanas, Kurt Helf
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Studies of North American cave beetle systematics have been based primarily on morphology. This project analyzes the relationships and validity of the four subspecies of the monotypic Neaphaenops based on monophyly, as well as relationships with the remaining four eastern N.A. cave beetle genera (Pseudanophthalmus, Nelsonites, Darlingtonea, and Ameroduvalius) using molecular methods. This study utilized 39 beetle samples collected from 27 Kentucky caves and one outgroup accessed from GenBank. Evidence for phylogenetic hypotheses is based on sequences of one nuclear protein-coding gene (arginine kinase) and one mitochondrial gene (CO1). Analyses support Neaphaenops as sister to all other taxa. One subspecies …
Long-Term Monitoring Of Aquatic Biota Using Occupancy Modeling,
2013
Cumberland Piedmont Network, National Park Service
Long-Term Monitoring Of Aquatic Biota Using Occupancy Modeling, Kurt Helf
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Monitoring populations of organisms over time is difficult even under the best circumstances; this is especially true of cave organisms. Cave organisms may not be detected during a monitoring survey even though they may be present. Indeed, detectability, i.e., the probability of detecting target taxa during a survey given they’re present at the site, undoubtedly varies among cave habitats (e.g., terrestrial versus aquatic) and cave organisms (e.g., cave beetles versus cave fish). However, to make reliable inferences regarding the relationship between the probability a sampling site is occupied by a cave organism (i.e., occupancy) and abiotic/ biotic factors that affect …
Inventory Of Terrestrial Wild Mammals At Mammoth Cave National Park: 2005-2010,
2013
Cumberland Piedmont Network, National Park Service
Inventory Of Terrestrial Wild Mammals At Mammoth Cave National Park: 2005-2010, Steven Thomas
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
An inventory aimed at documenting the occurrence of at least 90% of the terrestrial wild mammal species potentially present on Mammoth Cave National Park took place from 2005 to 2010. Documentation of mammal occurrence was accomplished via visual encounters and trapping. Visual encounters included methods like sighting individuals, conducting spotlight surveys by boat, locating mammal sign, hearing mammal calls, and finding dead individuals. A variety of trapping methods were used, including remote “trail” cameras, live traps, pitfall traps, drift fence-pitfall arrays, and several other opportunistic capture methods. 663 mammal records were documented by visual encounter or some trapping method representing …
Monitoring Cave Bats At Mammoth Cave National Park,
2013
Cumberland Piedmont Network, National Park Service
Monitoring Cave Bats At Mammoth Cave National Park, Steven Thomas
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Cave-roosting bats are important to the nutrient-poor cave ecosystem because they import organic material which supports a specialized cave invertebrate community. Nine of thirteen bat species found at Mammoth Cave National Park are generally associated with caves at some time of the year. Two of the species that inhabit park caves are on the Federal Endangered Species List: gray bat (Myotis grisescens) and Indiana bat (M. sodalis). Regular population monitoring of hibernating endangered bats has occurred in a few park caves since the early 1980s. Since the early 2000s, cave bat monitoring on the park has expanded to include additional …
White-Nose Syndrome At Mammoth Cave National Park: Actions Before And After Its Detection,
2013
MCICSL, Mammoth Cave National Park, Western Kentucky University
White-Nose Syndrome At Mammoth Cave National Park: Actions Before And After Its Detection, Rick Toomey, Steven Thomas, Joel Gillespie, Vickie Carson, Shannon R. Trimboli
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Since it was identified in the United States in 2006, white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats has become an important issue in the management of caves and bats at Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA). The threat of its arrival has led to more intense monitoring of bat populations, increased studies, and interventions with both the visiting public and researchers. The timeline of MACA’s WNS response is shown in Table 1.
Mercury Analysis In Rafi Nesque Big Eared Bat Populations,
2013
The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, Western Kentucky University
Mercury Analysis In Rafi Nesque Big Eared Bat Populations, Lara Van Der Heiden, Cathleen J. Webb
Mammoth Cave Research Symposia
Mercury (Hg) from atmospheric deposition from coal-burning power plants and other anthropogenic sources was analyzed in Rafinesque’s big-eared bats from Mammoth Cave National Park. The mercury from water progressively moves up the food chain through insects, and eventually into bats. In 2011, 58 bats were collected and hair samples were taken for an analysis. The AMA254 Mercury Analyzer was used to determine the mercury concentration from the bat hair in parts per million. A considerable amount of mercury was discovered in the bats analyzed. The mercury concentration of juvenile Rafinesque’s bigeared bats averaged between 0.5-1.0 ppm. Mercury levels in adult …
