June 6th is National Caves and Karst Day!
One of our favorite holidays at Bridal Cave is coming up very soon - National Caves and Karst Day! June 6th, 2019 is an entire day dedicated to raising awareness of the crucial roles both caves and karsts play in our lives and encourage people to get out and visit a cave! See what the National Caves Association has to say about National Caves and Karsts Day below in a press release that they published!
The National
Caves Association, which represents 90 show caves in the United States, Bermuda
and Barbados has declared June 6 as National Caves and Karst Day to increase
awareness of the roles both play in our lives and the environment. This year,
2019, marks the third year for this special event.
According to
www.CavesLive.org, which is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Prince
William Network, caves, and karst make landscapes diverse, fascinating and rich
in resources, including the largest springs and most productive groundwater on
Earth and 175 different minerals, a few of which have only been found in caves.
They provide a unique subsurface habitat for rare animals and preserve fragile
archaeological and paleontological materials for millennia.
There’s so
much to see, learn and discover underground. With publicly accessible caves
located throughout the country, the objective of National Caves and Karst Day
is to encourage people to tour at least one cave during the summer. Here five
reasons why they should.
1. See things they’ve never seen before.
No two caves are alike. Sights on a cave tour include
formations, millions of years in the making, such as stalagmites, stalactites,
aragonite crystals, flowstone, and cave bacon. There are also many caves with
water features, such as underground rivers, pristine lakes, and raging
waterfalls.
2. Spend quality time with family.
Some of the
best family memories are made during summer vacations and staycations.
Exploring caves with kids not only means quality time together, it can spark an
interest in science and nature that will last a lifetime. Bonding opportunities
exist as well when family members share a challenge such as going deep
underground for an adventurous wild tour.
“Most people
don’t realize that when they’re out walking or taking a hike, there might be a
completely different world beneath their feet. Even teenagers, who weren’t that
excited about the trip to begin with, are amazed and want to go right back in
for another tour,” John Graves, NCA President and President and CEO of
Virginia’s Luray Caverns, explained. “Instead of more screen time this summer,
get kids of all ages engaged in the natural world. No matter how many times you
go underground, it’s different every time.”
3. Cave tours are educational.
Most guided
tours teach guests about the history of that particular cave and the
surrounding area, as well as its geology, the positive impacts of bats and the
importance of cave conservation. There’s a lot more to learn about the scientific
research that’s taking place in caves around the world. Universities are
partnering with privately owned caves to learn how unique bacteria can play a
role in cancer treatment and the development of new antibiotics. Researchers
also collect broken formations to track historical weather trends dating back
hundreds of thousands of years and take water samples to identify changes in
mineral content.
There’s no
limit to the ways that we can benefit by better understanding caves and karst.
Astronauts train underground, and NASA is considering the possibility of using
a cave to create a shelter on Mars so that only one exterior wall has to be
constructed. Cave discoveries include unique species as well as fossilized
bones, some dating back to the Ice Age. The list goes on and on.
The National
Park Service offers a Junior Cave Scientist Program to encourage kids’
learning. A free activity booklet is available for download at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/junior-cave-scientist-program.htm
(link).
4. Spending time in nature has many benefits.
Multiple
studies show that nature boosts our mental and physical well-being. Benefits,
particularly when paired with exercise, include restored mental energy, better
vision in children, improved concentration, sharper thinking and creativity.
Spending time in natural spaces has been linked to increased energy, improved
cognition, reduced anger and stress, lower blood pressure and slower heart
rates.
5. Caves are fun.
These aren’t
your grandfather’s cave tours. Options for exploring and spending time in
caverns are increasing each year. Visitors can: travel on underground rivers in
electric tour boats at Bluespring Caverns and in kayaks at Indiana Caverns,
both in Indiana, or by floating at Natural Stone Bridge Caves and Park in New
York; watch live concerts broadcast by PBS or camp out at Tennessee’s
Cumberland Caverns; and listen to the Great Stalacpipe Organ, the world’s
largest musical instrument, at Luray Caverns in Virginia. Visitors to the Sea
Lion Caves wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary on the Oregon Coast often spot
sea lions inside the cave, depending on the time of year.
Sometimes,
just getting to the cave is fun. Access to Glenwood Caverns and the Historic
Fairy Caves in Colorado is via gondola, with panoramic views of the Rocky
Mountains along the way. In California, guests descend 150 feet by rope to
enter the main chamber at Moaning Caverns, no experience required. A Lake
Shasta Caverns’ California adventure begins with a ride across the crystal blue
waters of Shasta Lake on a 65-foot catamaran.
More
information about the National Caves Association and its members can be found
at www.cavern.com (link to home page).
Visit Bridal Cave on June 6th!
If you're looking for a fun way to celebrate National Caves and Karsts Days we encourage you to come out to our cave at the Lake of the Ozarks! If you're not in the area, National Caves and Karsts Day is the perfect day to plan a trip to our natural attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks or a cave nearby! If you visit Bridal Cave now through June 6th, we will be giving away FREE National Caves and Karsts Day posters to help raise awareness for this day! We hope to see you very soon!
One of America's most scenic
cave tours.
Visit us at www.BridalCave.com
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526 Bridal Cave Road
Camdenton, MO 65020
(573) 346-2676
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