Goals & Objectives

The goal of CavesLIVE is to raise awareness and understanding of caves and karst -- a resource that is seldom seen and considered mysterious -- and connect it to people's everyday lives. The objectives of this distance learning adventure are to:

  • Educate students and others that caves and karst features on the surface are pathways to the subsurface
  • Learn about how nutrient and energy sources move through those pathways into the subsurface, sustaining thriving communities of biota of all sizes.
  • Educate about how people have used caves to sustain/protect life, for their cultural and spiritual practices, and for science, education, and fun.
  • Understand the role of citizens, public land management agencies, and non-governmental organizations in stewarding natural resources.
  • Increase participation in and understanding of citizen science programs related to caves and karst so that students learn the importance of being a good steward.
  • Meet national education standards as they relate to Earth, Biological, and Social Sciences.       

Partners

USDA Forest Service Prince William Network Cave Research Foundation Cave Conservancy of the Virginias Cave Conservancy Foundation National Caves Association National Park Service Indiana Karst Conservancy US Geological Survey National Cave & Karst Program, United States Forest Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Društvo za raziskovanje jam Ljubljana Luray Caverns Crawford Hydrology Laboratory Under Earth Images Project Underground Natural Inquirer National Speleological Society FSNatureLIVE: Distance Learning Adventures National Cave and Karst Research Institute