Exploration of Mammoth Cave

This course is an intensive study of the discovery, exploration, and development of the caves and karst features of the Mammoth Cave region that resulted in the integration of the caves into the world's longest cave system. The forces that stimulated exploration, such as saltpeter mining, regional commercialization of show caves, national park development, and scientific research are examined. Illustrated lectures, handouts, and maps are used to promote understanding of the caves prior to daily field trips. This year the course will emphasize recent research on the history of the many regional show caves that competed with Mammoth Cave after the end of the Civil War. Many underground trips follow tourist trails closed long ago to the public, while other trips require strenuous walking and crawling in undeveloped passages on trips lasting 6 to 8 hours. Additionally, the course usually repeats the connection routes made by previous explorers between one entrance and another in the Mammoth Cave system. Participants must be in good physical condition to partake in these activities.

• Course Dates: June 4-10, 2012. The course will officially end on Saturday, June 9, but an optional cave trip may be offered on Sunday, June 10.
• Requirements: Good physical condition
• Registration Options: Undergraduate and Workshop credit
  -- For WKU Department of Geography and Geology students, course credit can only be applied for Geography majors.
• View Course Syllabus (Updated April 18th, 2012)

Instructor: Dr. Stanley D. Sides

Dr. Sides received his M.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia with post-graduate training in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology at the University of Kentucky. He practices Hematology and Medical Oncology in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, Missouri, with Cape Medical Oncology, a part of St. Francis Health Care System. He was the fourth president of Cave Research Foundation, is a fellow of the National Speleological Society, and is a founding member of the Missouri Speleological Survey and Karst Conservancy. He has published numerous articles on the history of the Mammoth Cave region as well as the books "Guide to the Surface Trails of Mammoth Cave National Park," and "Diamond Caverns - Jewel of Kentucky's Underground." His research interest are the history of the people and caves of Flint Ridge within Mammoth Cave National Park, and the history of the exploration and development of Diamond Caverns, Park City, Kentucky.

Techniques in Karst Groundwater Investigations

This field-intensive course will focus on broadening participants understanding of groundwater tracing methods through direct hands-on experience and classroom instruction about the principles that these methods are based on. Students will be instructed in environmental problems common in karst areas, and the dye tracing principles and techniques available for solving groundwater problems in karst and non-karstic terrains. With years of experience, Drs. Nicholas Crawford and Chris Groves will provide practical examples of groundwater investigations.

• Course Dates: June 6-8, 2012
• Registration Options: Workshop
• View Tentative Course Syllabus

Lecturer: Ms. Lee Anne Bledsoe

Ms. Bledsoe is the manager for the Crawford Hydrology Laboratory. She communicates with clients and supervises all daily workings of the lab, including laboratory analysis, QA/QC, and field work. In her time with CHL, she has worked on dye traces for groundwater basin mapping, effluent and sewer pipe break investigations, determining groundwater flow routes from factories and quarries, and determining spring recharge areas. Before joining the Hoffman team, Ms. Bledsoe worked for private research institutes and the National Park Service on water quality, hydrology, ecosystem restoration, and public health research projects. She is a Registered Sanitarian with the Department of Public Health for the State of Kentucky and is a certified onsite wastewater disposal inspector. Ms. Bledsoe is currently pursing a Master of Science in Geoscience at Western Kentucky University.

Lecturer: Nicholas Crawford, Ph.D., P.G.

Nicholas Crawford currently serves as an affiliate senior hydrologist for the Crawford Hydrology Laboratory at Western Kentucky University, where he helps design and supervise karst groundwater flow investigations. He is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography and Geology and the former Director of Crawford Hydrology Laboratory and the Center for Cave and Karst Studies. He has written over 200 articles and technical reports dealing primarily with groundwater contamination of carbonate aquifers, and is the recipient of more than 200 grants and contracts for hydrological research on environmental problems of karst regions. Dr. Crawford is the recipient of the 2006 Western Kentucky University Distinguished Professor Award, the 1985 Outstanding Achievement in Research Award, and the 1996 Professional Public Service Award. He is a Fellow and Honorary Life Member of the National Speleological Society. He received the Kentucky Outstanding Geologist Award in 1998 from the American Institute of Professional Geologists and the Karst Science Award from the Karst Waters Institute in 2005. As a consultant specializing in carbonate aquifers for the past 28 years, Dr. Crawford has worked on numerous groundwater contamination problems for private firms as well as federal, state, and local government agencies.

Lecturer: Chris Groves, Ph.D

Dr. Chris Groves is the director of the Crawford Hydrology Laboratory and Hoffman Environmental Research Institute and is a University Distinguished Professor of Geography at WKU. Since receiving a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia in 1993, Dr. Groves has developed an active international research program in basic and applied hydrogeology, geochemistry, and water resources. He serves as a co-leader of the United National Scientific Program "Environmental Change and Sustainability in Karst Systems," and as a member of the Governing Board of the International Research Center on Karst under the auspices of UNESCO. In 2010, he was nominated by China's Ministry of Land and Resources for the China Friendship Award, that nation's highest award for foreign experts. With more than 30 years of international experience in karst hydrogeology, Dr. Groves provides oversight of karst groundwater flow investigations for Crawford Hydrology Lab.

Karst Hydrogeology of the Ozarks

The Ozarks ecoregion is one of the largest contiguous karst areas in the United States with over 100,000 km² of karst terrain. Complex flow paths, extensive losing stream networks, large cave systems, and a variety of karst forming strata characterize the karst of this area. Some of the largest springs in the world are located in the Ozarks, as well as some of the longest distance dye traces used to delineate recharge areas for these springs. Beautifully decorated cave systems underlie the area, many of which are still incorporated into the modern-day hydrology. This course will examine the diversity amongst the various karst areas of the Ozarks, attempting to give participants an overview of the ongoing processes and features that control the hydrogeology of this region. The course will be "on-the-move" visiting a different karst area each day, varying by watershed, physiographic region, or geologic setting. Participants will be exposed to a variety of field methods utilized in understanding the complex hydrology found in this area, including dye tracing, stream gauging, cave mapping, geologic investigations, and geochemical analysis. This course will first meet in St. Louis, MO on June 10th at a pre-designated location (refer to the syllabus). Lodging accommodations are not included in the cost of this course. Since this course will take place in the Ozarks and not Mammoth Cave National Park, accommodation costs are expected to be higher than those accrued while staying at Hamilton Valley (~$20-25 per night for a double/triple occupancy). Once the final price participants will be expected to pay for accommodations is determined, this information will be made available on this website. You may request a single occupancy room if you are willing to pay full room costs, but you must alert the field studies program director of this request by the registration deadline on May 4, 2012.

• Course Dates: June 10-16, 2012
• Requirements: Good physical condition
• Registration Options: Graduate, Undergraduate and Workshop
• View Course Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Robert N. Lerch

Dr. Robert Lerch is a Research Soil Scientist for the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. His research interests include assessing factors controlling watershed vulnerability to herbicide transport, contaminant transport in and hydrologic characterization of karst recharge areas, land use impacts on water quality, analytical methods development, and the effectiveness of vegetative buffer systems for reducing contaminant transport. His research is documented in 100 technical publications, including 45 peer-reviewed journal articles. His karst research experience includes the delineation of three major recharge areas in Missouri using dye tracing techniques, intensive water quality monitoring of several cave systems, and detailed studies of the Toronto Springs-Carroll Cave system in south-Central Missouri. He also led the effort to develop a watershed plan for the Bonne Femme Creek watershed, a karst area south of Columbia, MO that includes specific ordinances and guidelines for protecting karst areas. He provided data to the State of Missouri that led to the Bonne Femme Creek being placed on the EPA 303D list of impaired waterways for high bacterial contamination, leading to current efforts to improve livestock and waste management within the watershed. Dr. Lerch has been a caver since 1992, caving extensively in the Ozarks, but also throughout the U.S. He has assisted with the survey of >50 caves and led the survey of the Carroll Cave system (Missouri), currently the 31st longest cave in the U.S.

Instructor: Mr. Benjamin Miller

Mr. Benjamin V. Miller, M.S., is an Environmental Research Specialist for the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute and Crawford Hydrology Laboratory. Ben currently leads the Institute's field and laboratory crew in research with the US Department of Agriculture on agricultural impacts and contaminant transport in karst areas. Ben also supports the Hoffman research team in cave survey, cave restoration, and development of cave management plans, and has worked internationally on projects in Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Belize. He is a prolific cave surveyor and documenter, working with both state and national caving organizations in the mapping of over 300 caves. Ben is a recent graduate of Western Kentucky University with a Master's Degree in Hydrology and Geomorphology where his research focused on characterizing the Carroll Cave-Toronto Springs system, a complex distributary spring system in the central Missouri Ozarks. Prior to joining the Hoffman team at Western Kentucky University, Ben worked at Onondaga cave State Park in Leasburg, Missouri. Some of Ben's work while at Onondaga cave included delineating recharge areas for Onondaga and Cathedral Caves, conducting cave restoration, and composing a cave management plan.

Cave Archaeology

This course provides an introduction to the archaeology of caves from an anthropological perspective. The history of cave research in eastern North America is outlined. Archaeological evidence of prehistoric and historic utilization of caves is highlighted, with special focus on research in the Mammoth Cave region related to cave exploration, mineral mining, mortuary use, and the preservation of perishable remains. Emphasis is placed on field methods in cave archaeology, including mapping, surface collection, excavation, and formation processes. Course materials are delivered using multimedia presentations, field trips, and field exercises. Field trips will include visiting portions of the cave that are accessible by developed trail and others that will be off trail in sections closed to the public. We will also be visiting several archaeological sites on the surface. All trips above and below ground will involve hiking and the off trail cave trips will be particularly strenuous.

• Course Dates: June 11-16, 2012
• Requirements: Good physical condition
• Registration Options: Graduate, Undergraduate, or Workshop
• View Course Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. George Crothers

Dr. George Crothers is Director of the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky. He has been conducting archaeology in caves in the Mammoth Cave region and other areas for 30 years. He is a Fellow of the Cave Research Foundation, a member of the National Speleological Society, and Associate Editor of Anthropology for the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies.

Cave Survey and Cartography

Cave maps and inventories are fundamental to the understanding of cave and karst environments. This course will focus on in-cave data collection (with an emphasis on sketching), cave resource inventories, constructing survey data/inventory databases, creating maps and transforming data and maps into GIS format. 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. Participants 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 caving activity each day. This course is designed to accommodate a variety of backgrounds and experience.

• Course Dates: June 17-23, 2012
• Requirements: Good physical condition
• Registration Options: Undergraduate and Workshop
• View Course Syllabus

Instructor: Ms. Patricia Kambesis

Ms. Patricia Kambesis is an internationally known and respected cave explorer, surveyor and cartographer who has worked extensively in cave systems throughout the world, including the US, China, Malaysia, and the Caribbean. She is a recipient of the Lew Bicking Award from the National Speleological Society and Past President of the Cave Research Foundation, where for several decades she has been a leader in the exploration and survey of the Mammoth Cave System. Her award-winning cartographic work has been extensively displayed and published. Pat has worked for many years as an Associate Director of the Hoffman Institute, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Geological Sciences at Mississippi State University.