National Cave and Karst Research Institute

Carlsbad, New Mexico | Conduct, support, facilitate, and promote programs in cave and karst research, education, environmental management, and data acquisition and sharing.

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Publications

NCKRI shares its research findings to support future research, education, and cave and karst management. Publications included Reports of Investigations, Symposia Proceedings, and Special Papers

Field Guides

NCKRI uses this report series to publish informative guides to caves and karst areas, often in association with conferences. The reports are produced on a schedule whose frequency is determined by the timing of the conferences or other factors. This series is not limited to any topic or field of research, except that they involve caves and/or karst.

NCKRI field guide 1 cover

Field Guide 1: A Cross Section of Central Texas: Show Caves, Preserves and Private Property

By Dr. George Veni

This field guide was written for the 23rd National Cave and Karst Management Symposium for people interested in contrasting various landscape-wide and site-specific approaches to cave and karst management. Many styles of cave and karst management occur to meet the diversity and needs of each situation and setting. The styles also vary according to the type of ownership and general land use. This guide spotlights three styles of ownership/management.

NCKRI field guide 2

Field Guide 2: International Show Caves Association Pre-Congress Field Trip: The Show Caves of West Texas And Southeast New Mexico

By Dr. George Veni

The International Show Caves Association Congress met for the first time in the USA, in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by Natural Bridge Caverns. This field guide showcases two of America’s most renown show caves: Caverns of Sonora, Texas, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. The goal of the trip is to present different approaches to show cave management, public education on caves and karst, and the use of associated karst sites that can enhance show cave operations and education.

NCKRI Field Guide 3

Field Guide 3: Florida’s Karst Landscapes and Roles of Karst in Flood Control and Water Supply Management in West-Central Florida

Edited By Dr. George Veni

This field guide was written by two teams of expert authors on Florida karst for the 17th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst (aka, The Sinkhole Conference). The field guide covers two field trips. The “Florida Karst Landscapes” trip opened the conference with an all-day overview of central Florida karst processes and management issues. The “Roles of Karst in Flood Control and Water Supply Management” was an afternoon trip that closed the conference, focusing on specific karst water issues just east and a little north of Tampa.

Anyone using these guides is responsible for obtaining legal access to the properties described. Some properties, especially privately owned, are only accessible to conference field trips and for research under special conditions and are not open to the general public. All reports in this series are open access and may be used with citation. To minimize environmental impact, few or no copies are printed. These reports may be downloaded at no cost.