National Cave and Karst Research Institute, New Mexico Tech
Grants Awarded
The desired program for Parks Ranch Cave on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land intends to enhance the visitor experience and protect the area's resources. Key enhancements include a professionally installed vault toilet, a larger shade structure for group discussions, an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant surface trail system with educational signage, and a defined path through the cave. These upgrades, managed by BLM and New Mexico Tech's National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI), and assisted by National Speleological Society volunteers, will offer improved amenities, educational opportunities and environmentally-friendly solutions while promoting accessibility, visitor enjoyment and ecological conservation.
The National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is a nexus of research, stewardship, outreach and information for caves and karst while fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, created by the US Congress in 1998 in partnership with the National Park Service, State of New Mexico, and the City of Carlsbad. NCKRI is located in Carlsbad, NM, and is a research center of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Currently the organization is forming a new approach to meeting our mission. With a new Director, who started in 2024, we have expanded our efforts in research, resource management, and outreach. Our outreach activities include running the annual “Cave Week,” which now reach over 1 million people per year and provides education on cave science and how to protect fragile cave environments. Our research staff has expanded over the last year to now include 4 staff dedicated to pushing the frontier of cave and karst science. Most recently, we have expanded our resource management staffing to focus on growing a community of practice aimed at improving cave management around the country.