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Challenges to Cave Systems: External Threats from Development, Logging, and Mining

The survival of cave systems is threatened by various external factors, including urban development, agriculture, and industrial activities. These actions lead to increased sedimentation, groundwater contamination, and detrimental changes in water chemistry, which can harm cave ecosystems and visitor safety. Stupidity, often masked as ignorance, compounds these threats, resulting in a stark need for better education and awareness. Over time, natural processes may help cleanse the gene pool of these impacts, but it requires significant intervention to safeguard these vital habitats against ongoing threats.

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Challenges to Cave Systems: External Threats from Development, Logging, and Mining

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  1. Stupidity Development Roads Dumping Logging Mining Oil and Gas External Threats to Cave Systems

  2. Difficult to overcome but essential for survival Not to be confused with ignorance, which can be overcome with education In time the gene pool may cleanse itself Stupidity

  3. Urban/Industrial • Golf Courses • Agricultural • Pavement run-off • Decreased infiltration • Increased flooding • Increased Sedimentation • Increased Contamination Development

  4. Collapse Storm water runoff routed into karst features Spills Draining into karst features Roads

  5. Groundwater contamination Harmful to cave life Hazardous to visitors Dumping

  6. Increased Sedimentation Change in Water Chemistry Plugging Entrances Logging USFS Photo by Jim Baichtal

  7. Removes the cave New entrances may change air & water flow, temperature, and humidity Mining

  8. Increased Surface Disturbance Drilling fluids in caves Leaky casing Leaky tanks, pits, & pipes Truck spills = Groundwater Contamination Oil & Gas Drilling

  9. Questions?? Text by: Jim Goodbar Photos by: Jim Goodbar, Jim Baichtal, Aaron Stockton, BLM Power Point Modified from J. Goodbar 2007 Presentation

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