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 envir onmental 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 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geography/Geology Dept Western Kentucky University 1 Big Red Way - EST 438 Bowling Green, KY 42101-1066 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
