Lost River - Karst Information Portal

esource in cave and karst conservation in
Indiana and frequently assists and advises the
Indiana Department of Natural Resources,
the Hoosier National Forest, the US Fish
and Wildlife Service, and The Nature
Conservancy in a variety of cave- and karstrelated
projects.
The Indiana Karst Conservancy has a
membership-based governing structure,
which elects an Executive Board to run the
organization. The Board consists of three
Officers and twelve Directors, providing
a diverse background of experiences, but
a common appreciation for caves and a
dedication to protecting them. We are an
all-volunteer organization with no paid
staff. Our primary means of communication
with our members is through our quarterly
newsletter, the IKC Update. We also
maintain a Web site (http://www.caves.org/
conservancy/ikc) that serves as an education
resource and a repository of information
and documents related to the Conservancy
Indiana Karst Conservancy
and its preserves.
The Indiana Karst Conservancy, both
directly and through its partners, has played
a major role in the change in attitude of
Indiana’s citizens towards caves and other
karst features, as well as bats; and with
the video, some may even come to respect
springtails and pseudoscorpions. Malicious
damage is down considerably; some major
caves have been kept available for responsible
recreation and study and now we need to
expand our focus to include the impacts of
urban sprawl, pollution, and other threats.
Following is a guide to IKC Preserves:
Sullivan Cave:
Our First Nature Preserve
In 1998, the IKC took possession of 28 acres,
including the principal entrance to Sullivan
Cave, one of Indiana’s longest and most wellknown
caves.
At over 9.6 miles long and containing river
River Passage in Sullivan Cave. Photo by Richard Vernier.
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