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----- The Hoffman Environmental Research Institute through its Center for Cave and Karst Studies and in cooperation with Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning, and Western Kentucky University, offers a series of weeklong field classes focusing on cave and karst science and caving. CAVE ECOLOGY June 6-12, 2009, Mammoth Cave, KY Instructors: Dr. Horton Hobbs III & Rick Olson 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 organisms as well as on the evolution of cave adapted organisms. We shall examine the influence of the 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” concerning the mini-projects will be presented at the end of the week. Participants should be in good physical condition and prepared for strenuous activity above and below ground throughout the week. GENERAL INFORMATION: Participants will need an adventurous spirit and good physical conditioning to get the maximum benefit from these courses. Past participants have included undergraduate and graduate students, cavers, cave guides, geologists, hydrologists, engineers, teachers and college professors, as well as individuals desiring an exciting and educational vacation experience. All participants must be high school graduates and in good physical condition. This program also requires all participants to carry medical insurance coverage. COURSE FORMAT: Professors typically lecture in the mornings with cave and surface trips scheduled for the afternoons. Special talks, slide shows, and trips into the cave are often scheduled after dinner. Activities may include: 1) all day trips into Mammoth Cave, 2) surface trips into the Park and the surrounding area, and 3) laboratory and various field exercises. Additional information on this workshop and other Karst Field Studies workshops offered this summer, please visit the Karst Field Studies website at http://caveandkarst.wku.edu/summerclasses.html.
