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Ozark Karst Program

TNC: Saving the last great places under the earth.

The Nature Conservancy: Saving the last great places under the Earth.

Photo on left © David Ashley. Photo on right © TNC

 

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Millipedes Found in Arkansas Caves are New to Science

Karst map

Entrance to Sherfield Cave

Smith Creek Preserve: Through a bargain sale, the Conservancy purchased 1,226 acres above Sherfield Cave, where the state's largest colony of endangered Indiana bats hibernates each winter. The preserve, together with a protection agreement on a private landowner's adjacent property harboring the cave's main entrance (above), will limit disruptions to the bats during hibernation. The preserve connects the 1.2-million-acre Ozark National Forest and the 95,000-acre Buffalo National River Wilderness Area, protecting forest habitat for gray bats, black bears and elk. Photo © TNC

 

Indiana bats

Indiana bats. Photo © TNC

Ecological Significance

The Ozark karst ecosystem is an underground wilderness of caves, springs and aquifers that over the millennia have formed in the carbonate bedrock of the Ozark Plateaus. Stretching from northern Arkansas and southern Missouri and into eastern Oklahoma, this amazing underground landscape harbors bats, salamanders, fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates, including at least 60 species found nowhere else on Earth. Because they have such limited home ranges, most Ozark karst species are considered globally imperiled, though only eight are listed for protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This landscape is also a precious groundwater source, so safeguarding the subterranean ecosystem means safeguarding drinking water for humans.

What We've Done

“Out of sight, out of mind” is a saying that might best fit the history of conservation efforts in the Ozark karst ecosystem before 1950. In many cases, the incredible landscape below and the unique animals that lived there were completely unbeknownst to man above. For the most part, the bulk of conservation at known (and usually larger) caves consisted of little more than gates to prevent incompatible access and vandalism. And, because much of the region was rural before the early 1900s, not much more was needed. Starting in the 1950s, though, large impoundments on major rivers supported increases in agriculture, industry and human population. As knowledge of this ecosystem increased, the Conservancy realized that humankind’s activities on the landscape above affected karst ecosystems. Since 1978 the Conservancy has acquired 15 caves, installed 10 gates, repaired 25 gates, removed 220 tons of debris near caves and is now monitoring 195 karst sites with Conservancy partners.

Threats

The porous and fractured nature of karst terrain makes it very susceptible to pollution. After rains, runoff from streams and the ground enters aquifers quickly, transporting any contaminants unfiltered and threatening aquatic karst animals. In northwest Arkansas, this ecosystem’s susceptibility to unfiltered contaminants is complicated by the fact that the region is home to some of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Residential and industrial developments have been built or are planned in the watersheds (or even directly on top) of these fragile underground ecosystems. Incompatible agricultural activities as well as careless biocide or petrochemical uses or disposals can pose threats. And the animals that live in the caves are threatened by incompatible (oftentimes illegal) entries and vandalism.

What We're Doing

But there is hope. In cooperation with many partners (including Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and local caving clubs), the Conservancy’s Ozark Karst Program is working to ensure this spectacular landscape and the plants and animals it harbors are safe. Using species inventories, the Conservancy has identified critical cave areas and is conserving them through acquisitions, voluntary protection agreements and private landowner cost-share incentives. The program is helping local governments develop plans for hazardous material spills, sharing information about the proper disposal of chemicals, leading cleanups in key areas and removing truckloads of harmful materials. Conservancy research has helped identify 15 new karst species and has influenced the placement of several roads to reduce their impact on sensitive subterranean animals. And the Conservancy also works with the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality for annual water quality monitoring. On a larger scale, the Conservancy works with developers and farmers to create better management plans that help protect the precious landscape below ground.

Because the Ozark karst ecosystem crosses over county, state and agency lines, the karst program is a cooperative effort including staff from The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois. Participation by public agencies from three states and three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regions is imperative to the success of the project as well.